


Don't Lose Your Heart

by Broncozfan623



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Established Relationship, Everyone has original Personas because I'm lazy and bad at fusing Personas, F/F, I have no idea what I'm even doing with these tags anymore lol, Implied Relationships, Internal Conflict, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mementos (Persona 5), Metaverse (Persona 5), Metaverse Doesn't Disappear, Post-Persona 5, Shadows (Persona Series), The Midnight Channel (Persona 4), The Velvet Room (Persona Series), Uses Music in Text (more on that in the beginning notes), battles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29249613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broncozfan623/pseuds/Broncozfan623
Summary: Ten years ago, the fog finally cleared and the Midnight Channel disappeared for good. For the tiny town of Inaba, things went back to normal, or as close as they could get to normal. So why all of a sudden did it reappear ten years later...?Around the same time, a unique request comes through on the Phantom Aficionado Website. Not calling for a change of heart, but a restoration of one...
Relationships: Amagi Yukiko/Satonaka Chie, Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann (mentioned)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've only recently started playing Persona 4 (legit only a few hours in), but I'm already obsessed and just had to come up with something to write about. So, here we are. I'll probably add more tags as this goes along, but I'm not very good with tags to begin with so I'm not sure.  
> However, there's one thing I'm gonna mention. I like to include music tracks from the various games I write about here and on FF.net (my pen name is the same over there too, btw) to enhance scenes and make it feel like my stories are actually set in-game. Granted, you don't HAVE to listen to the tracks as the story goes along, but I do recommend it greatly.  
> Okay, enough of my rambling. You may begin reading now.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain program returns to the town of Inaba, while a mysterious request comes through on the Phan Site

The day the fog finally disappeared from the town, it was like a weight had lifted from his and everyone else’s shoulders. The killer was caught, the Shadows defeated, and the world saved. The stress of balancing everyday life with Persona fusions and dungeon crawling was finally done.

The months after seemed to blur together. It was a time of peace, of friendship, of (attempted) love.

Before he knew it, he was on the train out of Inaba again, back “home” to the big city. He knew from the beginning it didn’t feel right…

Saving the world from a god with a group of your school friends and a bear would do that to anybody.

He knew that one day, he’d return to Inaba. Not just as a friendly visit, but as a permanent resident.

…

Well, years went by. High school finished. University came and went. Training at the academy at home would only help him be prepared for his return.

The day finally came...and the grandiose wasn’t as he expected. His friends? Mostly gone, off into the world unknown to live their lives.

Some did stay and welcomed him with open arms. The heiress to the Amagi Inn and her feisty best friend still remained and had taken their relationship to another level, while his old “summer fling” had inherited the manager position at the local Junes. He had tried once to advance their relationship, but it was not meant to last. Maybe things would be different this time.

The day he was introduced to the department by his uncle and former guardian was a breath of fresh air. A step into his new life.

From that day forward, detective Yu Narukami would do what he could to protect Inaba, his new and true home. 

Just as he had done before, all those years ago.

…

…

…

It was another lonely summer night, the small patter of rain on the roof providing sound to the silence of his small home.

He sat on the couch, book in hand. He turned the lamp on next to him, sat back, and focused on the words on the pages.

Now were the times he cherished, where he could just sit and act like an everyday man, whatever that meant. Everyone has their own opinions on what that meant.

His book was enough to keep him busy for a good while, as the seconds continued to tick by.

…

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Ding_

Midnight

…

A new sound joined the rain and the clock.

TV static.

The new sound piqued his curiosity, as he looked up at the TV that rested on its media stand.

_“Did I...turn that on…?”_

He reached over and grabbed the remote, pressing the power button.

Nothing. The static remained.

His eyes widened. It couldn’t be…

He placed his book and the remote down and walked over to investigate. He peered deep inside the pixels and the static, hoping to see anything…

…

The screen changed to a yellow outline, and a figure appeared…

He stumbled backward, landing on his rear and crawling backward.

This couldn’t be happening... _how_ was it happening?

The channel was gone for all those years, why was it back?

…

The figure on the screen was not legible, but he could see the yellow eyes and the features…

It looked like...him…

Was this... _his_ Shadow?

The figure grinned, and it spoke, _“We...have reawoken…”_

And then the screen shut off, leaving him to stare into a dark screen.

…

He didn’t know what was happening, or why, but he did know one thing…

He and his friends would have to go back into the TV…

* * *

Her fingers tapped on the table as she stared at her phone screen.

Should she _really_ do this? Was it necessary?

Surely, there were better options than to resort to...well, _this_.

If anyone found out that she was doing this, then it’d surely cause quite a stir…

…

A woman called out to her, “I’m heading to bed. You coming?”

She was snapped out of her daze and looked up, giving them a “Yeah, I’ll be right up. Just give me a minute.”

“Okay.” The other woman said with a smile and slowly advanced up the stairs and out of sight.

She sighed, getting lost in her thoughts for a moment.

…

After a while, she went back to her phone screen.

_“If I want things to change, this is the best way…”_

So, she opened her browser and typed into the search bar.

_Phantom Thieves website_

And there it was. The Phantom Aficionado Website. She read the top tagline.

_Need a change of heart in your life? Submit a request!_

She couldn’t believe she was about to do this…

But when she started typing her request, she couldn’t find the strength to stop…

* * *

“Look at this one. It’s...different.”

“Oh yeah. They want us to...restore a heart? Is that even possible?”

“Hmm...interesting. Might as well give it a shot, right?”

* * *

The halls were silent, the ambiance of the Metaverse both enthralling and terrifying.

Shadows trotted around and about with no real pattern or purpose.

* * *

**_Play: Escape - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Soon, the atmosphere seemed to change. The floor started to vibrate ever so slightly, the vibrations growing stronger by the second.

Before long, a van burst through the Shadows, plowing them down where they evaporated seconds later.

The van sped off into the halls of Mementos, the headlights illuminating the area.

Inside, the various Phantom Thieves spoke amongst themselves. Or really _yelled_ amongst themselves.

Noir held onto her hat and the seat for dear life, “Whoa Mona, slow down! We’re not in a rush!”

Mona responded, “But where’s the fun in going slow?”

“Hell yeah, Mona! Keep gunnin’ it!” Skull hopped up and yelled, a huge grin on his face.

Panther yelled back at him as she went to smack Skull on the back of the head, “Would you two knock it off?! The Shadows will hear you from the depths if you keep that up!”

“I believe that…” Fox managed to get out before they hit another bump that sent them sprawling “...the Shadows will be the least of our concerns at this rate.”

…

Joker just held tight as they went over another bump, colliding with another Shadow.

This one, however, was still holding on to the van. It clutched the ears on top, earning a loud yell from Mona.

“HEY! GET THIS ONE OFF OF ME!”

…

Joker opened the door, looking back at Queen, who was doing her best to keep Morgana in check, “Keep it as steady as you can.”

He clutched the grab handle hard and swung outside of the car, seeing the Shadow hanging on to Mona’s ears.

With his free hand, he pulled out his pistol, trying his best to aim with the swerving vehicle he was clinging to.

_BANG_

The shot collided with the Shadow’s “face”, knocking it off and disintegrating it as they rode off.

Joker returned to the car, as Mona thanked him.

“Now then, let’s keep looking for that target.”

* * *

**_Stop: Escape - Persona 5_ **

* * *

The target was at the end of the wall, near the swirling vortex. The figure was covered in darkness, but their shape was at least visible.

“There’s our target...oh, it’s _that_ one, isn’t it?”

“The heart restoration request.”

“Yeah, that.”

Joker turned back to them all, “We’ll operate like we usually do. I’ll take three, the rest stay behind just in case. Oracle, you know your job.”

“Hehe…” was the only response he got.

“Who do you want with you this time?”

He gave it a second to think over, and then spoke again, “Skull, you’re up.”

Skull did a small fist-pump as he walked up and behind Joker, “Awesome. I won’t let you down, leader.”

“Queen, you too.”

Queen bowed slightly, “I’ll do what I can.”

“And last but not least...Mona.”

Mona transformed into his original form and ran over all excited, “You want me for this one? Awesome! I’ve been working on my moves in my free time.”

Joker smirked, “You’d better put them to good use then.”

Joker then turned back towards where their target was, “Now then...let’s do this.”

While the rest stayed behind, Joker, Skull, Queen, and Mona all moved towards the Shadow.

* * *

**_Play: Desire - Persona 5_ **

* * *

_“You actually came to see me, how charming of you.”_

The darkness around the Shadow dispersed, and their form finally showed. It was a tall, dark-haired woman with deep yellow eyes just like any other Shadow. She wore a long, pink kimono and carried a red folded fan in her hand.

“Of course we came! We’re gonna change your- I mean, restore your heart... _whatever the hell that means_.” Skull said, although he whispered that last part.

_“Change my heart? But why? I haven’t done a single thing wrong.”_

“If you hadn’t done something, then you wouldn’t be here right now. Spill the beans or we’ll knock it out of ya!” Mona threatened the woman.

Joker remained silent as the Shadow and the team exchanged words. He had to admit, the request was extremely vague. It only provided a name and the request for the “restoration” of heart. Whether or not that was just another word for a change of heart they never were able to figure out. But the team agreed to check it out, per their policy.

Maybe asking its name would rile it up…

“Your name…”

The Shadow looked at him curiously.

“Your name...is Mrs. Yukiko Amagi. Am I right?”

The Shadow giggled lightly, _“Guilty as charged. You’re a lot smarter than your comrades over there.”_

“Hey, I’ll remember that when we start this thing, lady!”

Joker glanced over at Skull before taking another step forward, “I’m not sure why we were requested to help you, but…the existence of your Shadow makes it obvious that distorted desires exist deep in your heart.”

Joker continued as the Shadow’s face changed, from a devilish grin to a scowl, “And those desires, whatever they may be, we simply cannot allow to exist any longer.”

He then pulled out his gun and pointed it at the Shadow, “For as long as we act as the Phantom Thieves, we _will_ take your heart!”

Amagi’s Shadow huffed, _“You can try.”_

* * *

**_Stop: Desire - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Keeper of Lust - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Amagi’s Shadow had unfolded the fan in her hand, as the group brandished their own weapons.

_“Don’t be so cocky, children. You have no idea what I’m capable of…”_

Oracle came in and spoke, “Weird, why didn’t the Shadow transform?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, “Let’s take it down and ta- restore her heart!”

…

Joker started things off. He reached up and grabbed his mask, pulling it off in a blaze of blue fire. “Come...Arsène!”

His Persona, Arsène, appeared behind him, floating into the air in a blaze of glory.

“Ravage them!” He yelled as Arsène swung his arm down. A pool of dark energy formed at the Shadow’s feet before lifting into the air and hitting them, an evil face forming in the energy. While it did some damage, the Shadow stood tall.

Skull was up next. He ripped off his own mask, yelling out “Persona!” before his Persona, Captain Kidd, appeared behind him. 

“Eat this!” He yelled, Captain Kidd firing lightning bolts out of his arm at the Shadow, all surrounding and striking her multiple times. However, she continued to stand.

Queen immediately called her Persona, Johanna, and continued the assault. 

“Charge Johanna!” she yelled, revving the engine on the bike and riding in a quick circle. A large nuclear blast appeared at the Shadow’s feet, hopefully blasting it away. It did not.

Now, it was Mona’s turn. He, like the others, yelled, “Persona!” and summoned Zorro, his Persona. 

“Show your might, Zorro!” he yelled out as Zorro twirled the wand in his hand. Large gusts of wind swallowed the Shadow, but she still remained when the wind cleared.

…

 _“Your powers are interesting. I’m almost impressed…”_ Shadow Amagi taunted them, _“But it’s not gonna be enough.”_

Joker didn’t have time to react or think before she said, _“I’ll end this right here and now.”_

A card appeared in front of the Shadow and twirled down in front of her. With one swipe of her fan, she smashed the card and it cracked.

Immediately after, a figure appeared behind the Shadow, almost like…

 _“Wait a second…”_ Joker thought, _“But that’s…”_

Before he could think or say anything else, pillars of fire appeared over him and the rest of the team, dealing heavy damage to the entire team.

…

Oracle came back again, “What was THAT?!”

Mona narrowed his eyes and examined the figure, which still remained, “Don’t tell me...is that a Persona?!”

Shadow Amagi giggled, _“You’re finally starting to figure it out. Good job.”_

“But that’s impossible!” Mona yelled, “A Persona user can’t have a Shadow!”

Skull looked over at Joker, “What do we do?!”

Joker’s mind was racing with confusion, anxiousness, fear, and all of the above. However, he composed himself enough to look back and say, “Keep at it! We can handle this! Mona, switch out with Fox and examine that Persona!”

Mona looked over and nodded before running out of the combat zone. Fox very quickly jumped in and took over.

“Oracle! What’s the weakness?”

“I’ll check it out...got it. It should be weak to Ice! Fox, go all in!”

“Roger!” Fox said before ripping off his mask and summoning Goemon, his Persona, “Strike them down!” he yelled as a pillar of ice appeared in front of the Shadow. It shattered, the shards raining down over the Shadow.

When the ice dispersed, the Shadow remained standing, seemingly unaffected by the blast.

Oracle yelled out “What?! How did that not down her? This isn’t fair!”

_“We can’t down her and we can’t do enough damage...this is worse than I thought…”_

…

Shadow Amagi then repeated her last attack with the fire pillars, but did a lot worse this time. She knocked down Fox, who laid on his knees dizzy.

The Shadow then immediately followed by surrounding itself in a green glow. It had just healed itself.

“We’re not doing enough damage, we can’t down it, AND it can heal her?! What kind of Persona is that?!”

Mona interrupted Oracle’s ranting, “I’m not one to normally quit on a mission, but I’d rather fight another day than watch you guys drop dead slowly.”

He transformed into his car form behind them, where the rest of the group quickly got in, “We need to retreat! Get over here now!”

Joker winced at the thought of falling back, but given the circumstances Mona was right. He indicated with his head for the rest to fall back while he pulled out a smoke bomb.

 _“I told you you could try, but you just didn’t listen.”_ Shadow Amagi taunted him.

“Joker, come on!”

He lifted his arm up, but what the Shadow said next stunned him.

_“Come find me in Inaba if you ever want a rematch...we’ll be waiting for you…”_

“What?” He said, but by that point, the Shadow was preparing to attack him again.

Joker quickly threw down the smoke bomb and ran back towards Mona and the others. He quickly got in, yelling, “Go, let’s get out of here!”

The van quickly hopped through the vortex and away from the Shadow, which had already disappeared…

* * *

_**Stop: Keeper of Lust - Persona 5** _

* * *

As the party all talked about what they had seen, Joker remained silent.

The Shadow’s parting words had stuck with him since they retreated.

What was in Inaba that they didn’t know about?

 _“There’s something bigger going on,”_ he thought to himself, _“Something much, much bigger…”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their defeat at the hands of Yukiko Amagi's Shadow, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts have to regroup to face this new threat

**_Play: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

The bell on the door jingled as he entered Leblanc, him rubbing the back of his neck and adjusting the straps of his bag.

The man behind the counter turned as he entered, “About time you got back. You’re later than normal.”

Ren Amamiya stopped for a minute in front of the counter and addressed Sojiro, “Sorry, we just got...caught up with some things.”

“Is it...Phantom Thief business?” He whispered that last part.

“Yeah…” Ren replied, eyes to the floor. This conversation normally wouldn’t happen, but the shop was empty at the moment.

“Well then, I won’t butt in. But just make sure you take care of yourselves and don’t get into anything that will cause any real harm. Okay?”

“Of course.” Ren said with a small smile.

Sojiro smiled himself, but quickly started moving away and towards the coat rack, “Alright, I’m heading back home. I’ll lock up on my way out. You just head upstairs and get some rest.”

Ren nodded, walking towards the back and up the stairs to the attic. Behind him, he heard Sojiro exit the shop.

…

As soon as he placed the bag down on the table, Morgana popped out and started talking to him.

“Are we not gonna talk about what happened back there?”

“Not much to talk about. We all know what we saw.”

“This is a much bigger deal, you know! A Shadow in Mementos was able to summon a Persona! You don’t think that’s a problem at all?!”

Ren laid down on his bed and stretched out, “It is. Huge, even. But now is not the time, Morgana…”

Morgana jumped up onto the bed next to him, “How are you so calm during all of this?!”

He didn’t answer that one, just closing his eyes and resting his head back.

Morgana sighed, “Of course you’re not listening…”

“Shadows are born from humans and their emotions...they come from everyone, except for us Phantom Thieves.”

“Right,” Morgana responded, “Because you’re all Persona users. Persona users shouldn’t have Shadows, let alone be able to summon them in battle.”

“Which makes me think...what if the Shadow of Amagi-san was born _after_ the Persona was awoken?”

“That...shouldn’t be possible…”

Morgana sat down and sighed, “Then again, she didn’t have a mask or anything. Just that strange card that shattered…”

…

“Do you think there could be more Persona users out there, just like us?”

“It’s possible. But...wouldn’t we have encountered them before today? After all, there’s no other alternate world besides the Metaverse...at least, as far as I know.”

Ren thought long and hard, but his thoughts were disrupted by the buzzing of his phone.

…

The text chat that followed went like this:

Ryuji: _Man, I thought we were the only ones with Personas! How did a Shadow get one?!_

Makoto: _I hate not really having an answer, but this is something we’ve never gone up against…_

Futaba: _That Shadow was totally cheating! Yusuke should’ve been able to take them down, easy!_

Yusuke: _I don’t think my Persona alone would’ve been enough to match the one we faced._

Ann: _All that aside, what are we gonna do? We didn’t even complete the request…_

Haru: _Just because we fell back today doesn’t mean we can’t try again tomorrow. The Shadow should still be in Mementos, right?_

Ren: _It’s possible, but there’s more we need to know. We need to find out more about who we’re going up against and why they have a Shadow in the first place._

Makoto: _He’s right. What was the Shadow’s name again?_

Ryuji: _I think Joker said it was “Yukiko Amagi”. That ring a bell for anybody?_

Yusuke: _I can’t say I’ve heard that name before._

Ann: _Me neither. They’re certainly not anyone we know, apparently._

Haru: _The name sounds familiar, but I can’t remember what for. My apologies._

Futaba: _No need to apologize, Haru. I’ll just do some digging online. Shouldn’t be that hard._

Ren: _We’ll be counting on you, Futaba._

Futaba: _Just leave it to me._

Ryuji: _Should we try asking some people around the city?_

Ann: _Wouldn’t that be kinda suspicious of us?_

Makoto: _It most certainly would. We don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea._

Ren: _Just wait for Futaba. Knowing her, she’ll have this done in no time. For now, everyone just sit tight and wait. We’re gonna figure this out._

Yusuke: _Of course. I’ll be on standby until you contact us._

Ann: _Me too!_

Haru: _I’ll try to remember where I heard that name in the meantime._

Ren: _Alright. Stay safe, everyone._

Ryuji: _You too, leader!_

…

While that conversation had ended, Ren immediately started sending another message to Futaba, separately.

Ren: _Hey Futaba. There’s one last thing I want you to look into._

Futaba: _Sure. What’s up?_

Ren: _Right before we retreated, the Shadow said to me to “Come find me in Inaba if you ever want a rematch.” If you can, try searching for anything interesting in that area._

Futaba: _No problem. I could also try tracing where the original request came in from. If I find anything, I’ll let you and the others know._

Ren: _Perfect. Thanks Futaba. Talk to you soon._

…

“So, that’s what kept you behind in Mementos...the Shadow spoke to you…” Morgana said as Ren set his phone down.

“Yeah, it did. Something bigger has gotta be going on here, Morgana. I can sense it…”

“Well,” Morgana said while yawning, “guess we’ll just have to wait on Futaba. She seems like she’s got this under control. In the meantime, let’s try to get some sleep.

Ren smiled and nodded, taking his glasses off and closing his eyes slowly.

* * *

**_Stop: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

For a while, he slept peacefully.

Soon, his mind started drifting away...

* * *

**_Play: The Poem for Everyone’s Souls - Persona series_**

* * *

His eyes were reopening to an iron ceiling and a blue haze. A jarring yet familiar sight, indeed.

Ah yes. Back in the Velvet Room.

He sat up from his prison bed and moved over towards the iron door, greeted immediately by the familiar long-nosed man at his desk.

Igor looked up and saw Joker, speaking, “It has been quite a while. I’m always happy to make your acquaintance, Trickster.” He said before chuckling lightly.

“It is an honor to witness your return.” A female voice said, and he saw Lavenza standing over to the right. She greeted him with a smile and a polite bow.

Joker nodded and smiled at Lavenza before returning his eyes to Igor, “Did you know there were other Persona users out there?”

“I do know of the other places of distortion in the world, yes.”

Joker was hardly surprised, but Igor continued, “There are many individuals with the rebellious spirit within to wield Personas, but only a fair few are like you. I take it you’ve encountered one of them in your journey, yes?”

“We did,” Joker said, thinking back to their encounter with Amagi-san's Shadow, “But this Shadow was unlike any other. It...it had a Persona.”

“I see…” Igor said quietly, “It appears that even with a Persona, a human heart can still fall to their desires held deep within...how curious indeed…”

Igor still laughed lightly before continuing, “This may be the greatest challenge you’ve faced, thus far. But worry not, the bonds you’ve made and the powers you hold should carry you far…”

“What do you suggest I do about this?” Joker asked, just hoping for any sort of answer.

…

Igor began, “The world you seek is a land unlike any Palace you’ve encountered. The Shadows prey fiercely on the hearts of anyone who finds their way inside, and only the most powerful Persona wielders can venture within...there, you shall find them…”

He moved his hand, a card appearing before him.

“The Wild Card…” Joker said quietly to himself, although Igor’s response showed he heard him clearly.

“There is another Wild Card still in this world. Find him, unite your power, and the truth you both seek will be revealed…”

“Where am I supposed to start looking?”

Igor laughed, “You already have the answer…”

Lavenza stepped forward to speak, “There are many Velvet Rooms just like this one. Each with our same master but a different attendant, like myself. You’ll most definitely encounter the Velvet Room the other Wild Card attended on his journey. Taking that card will guarantee your safety and entrance.”

Joker clutched the card between his fingers and nodded, “I’ll hold onto it, until I return here.”

Lavenza smiled, “I have no doubt that you will succeed, Trickster.”

…

The bell began to ring.

“It appears our time together tonight has come to an end. But worry not. You and I will soon meet again…”

* * *

**_Stop: The Poem for Everyone’s Souls - Persona series_**

* * *

He waited until midnight to check again.

Of course, the TV came back on in the night.

But this time, he didn’t panic. Instead, he crouched down in front of the TV as the Midnight Channel disappeared with no-one on the screen.

He took out the old pair of glasses from his back pocket, unfolding them and putting them on.

They still fit, even after all of these years.

_“Alright...time to find out if this works.”_

He put his hand up and placed it on the screen softly.

…

His hand then collapsed inside of the TV screen, swirls emanating around his arm.

“I knew it…” he said lightly before climbing into the screen fully.

* * *

**_Play: Midnight Channel - Persona 4_ **

* * *

He landed on the middle of the platform directly on his feet. When he stood up, he looked around the area.

_“Same layout, same places, same fog. This is definitely the same place.”_

_“But...didn’t Teddie say that we had to come into the same place? I guess he meant the TV and not the location.”_

Yes, the TV he had was the same one that they had used during their investigation. It wasn’t hard to track down, but definitely hard to pay for...

He lightly tapped his shoe on the floor, and the TVs they would use to leave appeared in the corner of the studio.

_“So we could always summon those things? Damnit Teddie…”_

…

Before he could go anywhere else, there was movement coming from behind him.

Yu immediately shot around and yelled into fog, “Who’s there?”

Whatever it was didn’t respond, but he wanted to be prepared.

“I know it’s been a while,” he said quietly, “But…”

He put his hand out in front of him and said, “Come to me…”

He waited...and nothing.

“What?” Yu said, stunned, “I...I can’t summon him?”

…

He then looked up and saw something coming at him, and it was moving fast.

A Shadow appeared from the fog, the one that was advancing towards Yu at a rapid pace.

Despite this, he didn’t panic. He may not have had his Persona, but he still came prepared.

Yu reached to his hip, and pulled his police revolver from its holster. He aimed, pulled back to bolt, and waited.

The Shadow came close and dove at him.

_BANG_

…

The Shadow disintegrated immediately, and Yu searched the area around him. No other Shadows were nearby. For now.

 _“That gunshot is gonna draw them here,”_ he thought, _“Even if I have a weapon, without my Persona I…”_

He didn’t bother finishing the thought, just holstering his gun and crawling back through one of the TVs, leaving the TV world.

However, his first trip had only left him with more questions than answers...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Inaba, Yu Narukami and Chie Satonaka try to come up with a plan to investigate the Midnight Channel
> 
> Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves gather more information about their newest target

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy this.

“So, what’s been on your mind?”

The question distracted Yu from the documents on his desk, which had been placed there by the same voice.

“What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t think I hadn't noticed, did ya?”

“I don’t feel like I’ve been acting any differently.”

“Come on, Narukami. Don’t play dumb. You know you can trust me.”

Yu sighed. If there was anyone in the force that would’ve noticed, it would’ve been Chie. They were partners, after all.

Yu placed the file he was holding down and stood up, “Can we talk outside?”

“Sure. Any excuse to get out of doing paperwork.”

The two of them started walking outside, Chie continuing the conversation.

“Yukiko wants you to come over for dinner sometime soon. Are you free this weekend?”

“Unfortunately no. Nanako’s got a concert and I promised I’ll be there, not adding the fact I’ve gotta come in on Saturday.”

“Oh, well no problem. Maybe next weekend?”

“We’ll see.”

…

The two of them stood at the side of the police station, watching over the streets. Every so often, a car would pass by or the occasional jogger, but the streets were quiet.

If there was one thing he hoped would never change, it was the quietness.

Chie eventually broke the silence, much to Yu’s dismay, “So, what’s been on your mind? Is it something to do with work?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Is it a family issue?”

“Nah, everything has been good there.”

“Have you,” she hesitated before saying the next part, “thought about making things up with Yosuke?”

Yu nearly choked on his own breath, “Wha-why would you think that’s the problem?”

“Well geez. I didn’t think you’d react _that_ poorly. It’s just…”

She looked down at the ground, “You two haven’t spoken in months, and based on how you left things last time…”

“I’d...rather not talk about that.” He said lightly, staring down at his shoes.

He and Yosuke’s relationship was...strained, to put it simply. It felt like only yesterday when they were laughing, hanging out, and spending quality time together almost daily. That was until...

He shook the thought out of his head. It didn’t matter, it was all in the past…

…

“To answer your question, Chie…” he said while looking back up at her, “I saw it…”

“Hmm? Saw what?”

“I saw the Midnight Channel again…”

In an instant, the color drained from her face and her eyes shot wide open.

“YOU SAW WHA-?!” She shouted, not being able to finish before Yu was covering her mouth with his hand.

“Keep your voice down! I don’t want anyone else to hear this!”

Chie clawed at him and eventually shoved his arm off.

“Do not EVER do that again!” She said while angrily waving her finger in his face.

“I’m sorry, but listen to me.”

He sighed heavily, “A few nights ago, I saw it come back on. I didn’t get a good look on anything, but...I saw a person on the screen. It looked like-,”

“It looked like who? Did someone get kidnapped again?”

“No no, nobody was kidnapped. But...the person I saw on the TV...was _me_.”

Chie gasped, too stunned to speak, so Yu continued, “Last night, it appeared again. Nobody appeared this time, but I went inside to check it out…”

“You went ALONE?! Are you crazy?!” She shout-whispered to him.

“What else was I gonna do? Call you guys up and say “Hey friends! Wanna take a stroll through the TV world?”? No way!”

“It would’ve been better than going by yourself…”

She sighed, collecting herself and asking, “What did you see?”

“Everything was the same in there. The studio area is still there, but...I got attacked by a Shadow.”

“But Shadows never showed up at the entrance before...”

“I can’t explain it myself, but that’s not all. I tried to summon Izanagi, but...I couldn’t.”

“Wait,” Chie stopped him, “You...lost your Persona? Is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, Chie. I really don't. All I know is that the channel is back and I can’t summon my Persona anymore.”

...

For a while, they just stood in silence, Yu crossing his arms over his chest while Chie just stared at the ground.

“So...what do we do?” Chie said with a not-so-subtle hint of concern.

Yu sighed, looking up and saying, “For now, we wait. If something happens, then we’ll act.”

* * *

They all gathered upstairs in Leblanc, just as Futaba had requested.

“Alright, we’re all here,” Ryuji said as he slid his phone back into his pocket, “So, what’d you find, Futaba?”

“Does it have something to do with Amagi-san and her Shadow?” Yusuke asked as he leaned against the back wall.

“I’ve got that and plenty more. Hehe…” She said while grinning.

“Well, tell us what you’ve got,” Ren said, crossing his arms.

* * *

**_Play: Suspicion - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Futaba pulled out her phone and showed it off to everyone.

“Mrs. Yukiko Amagi. Graduated from Yasogami High School about nine years ago. Runs the famous “Amagi Inn” in the small town of Inaba. Married for two years. Owns a degree in hospitality and management.”

“Wow, you were able to figure all that out in two days?” Ann asked.

Futaba looked at her confused, “Two days? Nah, I got all this in two hours.”

Everyone was surprised by that statement, and Morgana immediately said, “Wait, so what took you so long to call us all together?”

“Finding info on Amagi was easy. It was what Ren asked me to do privately that took me a while.”

She swiped on her phone for a bit, continuing, “I looked into Inaba some more, and found some interesting info. About ten years ago, there was a series of murders in the town. Three people went missing one day, and then soon after the police found their bodies hanging from television cables.”

Makoto’s eyes widened, “I remember that case. Sis has mentioned it a few times when talking with coworkers.”

“I’m not surprised. It was a huge deal back then. However, more people went missing during that time too but survived. Four of them, to be exact.”

She showed her phone to the rest of them again, “One of which was Mrs. Amagi.”

Her screen showed the four other victims, those that had been kidnapped but survived.

“Isn’t that...Risette?” Haru asked, noticing the other girl’s picture.

“You mean the singer?”

Ryuji looked back at the screen and his eyes widened, “Holy crap, that _is_ Risette! She was involved in all of that?”

Futaba nodded, “I got one more thing too. I found out the person who put in the request on the Phan Site.”

This one piqued Ren’s curiosity, “Who?”

“Chie Satonaka-Amagi, a detective at the local police department.”

“Satonaka-Amagi? That’s a weird last name.” Ann pointed out.

Makoto spoke up after, “Amagi must be the surname. Maybe Amagi-san's spouse?”

“Correct.”

…

“So, this Amagi chick was one of the people kidnapped during the time of those murders, yeah?” Ryuji started, “But, that doesn’t really give us anything about where her Shadow came from.”

“Or the fact that her Shadow could wield a Persona…” Yusuke added.

“We’ve got more info about the target now,” Makoto continued, “But they’re right about that part.”

“Futaba,” Ren said, hands now fisted into his pockets, “You said those people were kidnapped by someone. Did it say where they were found?”

She shook her head, “No clue. According to the reports, the police never could get the truth out of the guy who did it.”

“Did they at least mention any claims he made?”

“Now that you mention it...there was something about “throwing them into the TV”, but I chalked that up to the culprit just messing with them.”

“Throwing them into the TV?”

Morgana hopped up onto the bed and spoke, “It’s not much, but it’s at least _a_ lead. It’s a lot more than we had before today. Good work, Futaba.”

She shot him double-finger guns.

“Ren, if we wanna learn more about that case, let’s contact Ohya. She should have good info about that whole thing.”

Ren nodded while Morgana looked back at the group, “If you’ve got the time, start looking into those cases in Inaba. Let’s disperse for the day.”

* * *

**_Stop: Suspicion - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Bar Yuu Corner - Persona 5_ **

* * *

That night, Ren and Morgana headed to Shinjuku after Ohya agreed to meet with them. It wasn’t a struggle to get around all of the solicitors and police, and he soon entered the Crossroads bar.

Much like normal, it was empty aside from Ohya and Lala-Chan, who was tending to some drinks behind the bar.

“Ahh, it’s been a while since you’ve been on this side of town. Still doin’ that whole Phantom Thief thing?”

Ren gasped at the sudden remark, but Lala-Chan just laughed, “Relax kid. No one else is here. Your secret is safe with us.”

He gave a heavy sigh of relief, “Don’t scare me like that, Lala-Chan.” He walked up and sat down next to Ohya, who was finishing up her glass of wine.

When she was done, she turned her attention to Ren, “It’s been quite a long time since you’ve asked to meet for information. What brings you here?”

…

Ren got straight to business, “I need information on the Inaba murders, from ten years ago.”

Ohya looked confused, “Really? That old case? I’m surprised you even know about it. You would’ve been a small kid by then.”

She narrowed her eyes, “What’s the sudden interest?”

He hesitated, but the two of them had already known, so what the hell, “Phantom Thief business. Highly classified.”

“Oh? Are the Phantom Thieves spreading outside of Tokyo? How interesting…”

She took another sip of her wine and asked another question, “What do you wanna know?”

“The people that got kidnapped and survived. There were four of them. What were their names?”

“If I remember correctly, they were all high school students. The first one was “Yukiko Amagi”, heiress to the Amagi Inn. The second was “Kanji Tatsumi”, a local kid who had some trouble with gangs. Then there was international superstar “Rise Kujikawa”, who you probably know about. And the last one was “Naoto Shirogane”, the “detective prince” who wasn’t even a prince.”

“Who were the victims?”

“I believe there were three of them. A local reporter named “Mayumi Yamano” was the first of them. The second was a high school student, a girl named “Saki Konishi” who discovered the first body. The third was a teacher at the same high school as the girl, “Kinshiro Morooka”. All of their bodies were found tangled in television cables.”

“Did the police ever figure out why the bodies were like that?”

She shook her head, “Nope. Although, there were some rumors…”

Ren was curious, so he pressed.

“According to some students, there was this legend that popped up around that time, something called the “Midnight Channel”. It was said that if you looked into the channel, you’d see your soulmate on the screen. However, some people say that the people they saw on the screen...were the ones that were kidnapped and eventually murdered.”

“Really…”

“Yep. Can you believe it? Another rumor says that the perpetrator was throwing the victims into this alternate dimension inside the TV. The Midnight Channel would then show the people that got thrown in, albeit with MAJOR changes to their personalities.”

Morgana spoke from the bag, “That must be talking about their Shadows…!”

“So,” Ren said, “This “Midnight Channel” was the cause of all of that?”

She shrugged, “So the rumors say, but they never were able to get the truth about that from the perp. Said he just pleaded guilty, wrote a confession, and that was that.”

“Interesting…” Ren said quietly to himself.

…

With that, he stood up, “Thank you for the information, Ohya. I appreciate it.”

“Any time, although,” she stopped him, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you. Why don’t we catch a bit before you go home?”

She was smiling at him, making Ren _slightly_ uncomfortable.

But she did give him all of that information, so…

“Alright.” He said, and he sat back down.

* * *

**_Stop: Bar Yuu Corner - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

They had returned to Leblanc and the attic, Morgana sitting on the floor and Ren on his bed.

“Well, that was a lot more insightful than I thought.”

“It’s a lot to process,” Ren added, “We’ll have to meet up again and go over things.”

Morgana nodded, “Yep. We got the basics from Futaba, but everyone’s gonna have to know about this “Midnight Channel” that Ohya mentioned. If they really were seeing other people’s Shadows on the TV, then we need to move fast on this.”

“Especially with that whole TV world thing…”

“Precisely. I’m glad you were paying attention during all of that.”

Ren smirked as Morgana scratched behind his ear.

…

His eyes then wandered over to his TV, still sitting on the table where it had been placed so many months ago.

“Do you think...we’ll actually see something on it?”

Morgana looked over, “You...actually want to try it?”

“We have to find out if it’s true somehow.”

“That’s...true. Eh, what the hell. Might as well.”

The two of them sat in front of the TV and waited.

...and waited.

...and waited.

...and waited.

Until midnight finally came, and Ren pressed the power button on the TV.

…

…

…

Nothing.

Morgana sighed and yawned loudly, “What a waste of time…”

Ren wanted to disagree, but couldn’t. He switched his TV off and immediately went to shut the lights off.

“Time for bed now…” he said lightly, barely even managing to make it over to his bed before flopping down and passing out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren Amamiya and the rest of the Thieves search for more information about the rumored "Midnight Channel" and try to locate the Palace of Yukiko Amagi
> 
> In Inaba, Narukami creates a plan to try to draw the PTs to Inaba

**_Play: Tokyo Emergency - Persona 5_ **

* * *

“We’ve got a lot of info, but we’re gonna need to be prepared. We’re pretty low on healing items and our weapons are losing their durability.”

Ren pulled the bag over his shoulder with Morgana inside as they walked out of Leblanc, “Good idea. Let’s head over to the Clinic then.”

Takemi’s clinic was only a short walk from Leblanc, and they had arrived within two minutes.

Only for them to find a closed sign on the door.

“Closed for the summer?” Ren said curiously, peeking through the window on the door. Unfortunately, the lights were shut off and the door was locked.

“Well, that sucks. Guess we’ll have to find somewhere else to get medicine and stuff. Let’s check Iwai’s Airsoft Shop next.”

Ren walked away from the clinic and headed towards the station, hopping onto the first cramped train to Shibuya.

Shibuya was as busy as ever, but he wasn’t alone for long. He found Ryuji lounging in Station Square.

“Yo, Renren!” He said as he approached Ren and Morgana, “I’ve been waiting for you to message the group. You got anything new for us?”

“We do, but we’re running some errands before we inform the team.”

“Alright, cool. I’m not doin’ anything, so I might as well tag along with ya. Where you two headed?”

Morgana popped out, “We were gonna go check the airsoft shop to see if it was open. We checked the clinic, but they’re closed.”

Ryuji frowned, “Ehh, don’t bother. The airsoft shop is closed too.”

Ren’s eyes widened, “Really? There too?”

“Yep. Looks like it’s been shut down for a while. There was dust on the indoor door handle when I peeked in.”

“Damn...what are we gonna do for weapons?”

“Ahh, we’ll be fine. We can manage with what we got for now.”

Ryuji sat back down, “Anyways, now that you’re not goin’ anywhere, should we meet up with the group?”

Ren pulled his phone out, “Hold on. Lemme let everyone know what we learned from Ohya first.”

He started typing into the Thieves chat, which took a long while.

…

Makoto: _So they would see people on this “Midnight Channel”? And that’s how they identified who would be kidnapped?_

Ren: _According to the info we got from Ohya, that was the rumor._

Ryuji: _That sounds a bit... far-fetched._

Yusuke: _More far-fetched than cognitive museums and space stations that can be accessed with a phone app?_

Ryuji: _Touché_

Makoto: _What should we do about this? Should we meet up and try putting that into the Metanav?_

Haru: _You’ll have to do it without me. I’ve been pulled into a board meeting with the company._

Ann: _I have a shoot today, so you’ll have to go without me too. So sorry…_

Futaba: _Don’t worry about it. We can handle this and just share the keywords when we meet back up._

Ren: _Yeah, that’s what we’ll do. Handle whatever business you have and we can go all together another day._

Makoto: _That’s all assuming we even find anything in the Nav._

Haru: _Good luck, everyone._

…

…

…

The rest of the Thieves had met up in their usual spot, the attic of Leblanc.

“Those that could make it are here,” Makoto said, those being Ryuji, Yusuke, herself, and Futaba. Ren and Morgana were there, of course, “Should we try the Nav now?”

Ryuji pulled out his phone, “I’ll pull it up. Let’s see...we know the name is Yukiko Amagi, so let’s try that first.”

The nav reacted, _“Candidate found.”_

“Got a hit.”

Yusuke crossed his arms, “This might be easier than we thought.”

“Hold on,” Ren said, “Midnight Channel.”

_“Candidate found.”_

“Now we just need the final keyword...umm…”

Makoto looked over at Futaba, “You said she was the heir of the Amagi Inn. Maybe “hotel”?”

_“No candidates found.”_

Yusuke gave an option, “What about a resort?”

_“No candidates found.”_

“Keep it simple and just try “inn”?” Morgana added.

_“No candidates found.”_

…

Ryuji looked over to Ren, “You got anything? We’re kinda stumped on this last one.”

_“An heiress...the heir to the Inn…like the heir to the throne…”_

“Castle…” he said lightly.

* * *

**_Stop: Tokyo Emergency - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Disquiet - Persona 5_ **

* * *

_“Candidate received. Beginning navigation…”_

“Holy shit, that worked!” Ryuji said before patting Ren on the shoulder, “Nice goin’, leader!”

“At last, we’ll be able to fulfill the request of Satonaka-san,” Yusuke said proudly.

Futaba stood up, “You guys ready for this? This'llll be a piece of cake!”

Ren smiled at their enthusiasm as they waited for the Metanav to speak up again.

…

They waited as the seconds continued to tick by.

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick_

“Is it just me,” Ryuji said with a hint of concern, “or is this taking way longer than normal?”

“It’s most certainly not just you, Ryuji…” Makoto said with the same level of concern.

…

Eventually, the Nav spoke again.

_“Invalid entryway. Please try again.”_

“What the hell do you mean “invalid entryway”?!”

Yusuke frowned, “Looks like I may have jinxed things…”

“Now hold on,” Futaba said, taking Ryuji’s phone and examining it. She scrolled and pressed numerous buttons, but just sighed and handed it back.

“It’s no use. The Nav can’t help us this time…”

“How are we supposed to get into the Palace then?”

Morgana thought for a second, “One of the keywords was “Midnight Channel”. Maybe...we need the channel to appear for us to gain access.”

“But...how? Didn’t you and Ren try it last night and nothing happened?”

Morgana looked down at the floor, “That’s what I don’t get...why would the Metanav even pick up the Palace if we weren’t able to access it at all?”

…

They all sat in silence for a while, as the Metanav repeated its earlier words.

Ren thought back to what Ohya said the previous night, at Crossroads.

_“Another rumor says that the perpetrator was throwing the victims into this alternate dimension inside the TV. The Midnight Channel would then show the people that got thrown in, albeit with MAJOR changes to their personalities.”_

He then thought to himself, _“If the Midnight Channel really is a thing, then...why didn’t we see it? Why didn’t anyone else outside of Inaba see it? We know Amagi-san has a Palace thanks to the Nav, but we can’t access it. We also know that she resides in Inaba while we’re all in Tokyo…”_

_…_

He then had an idea, _“Could the fact that we’re not in the same location be what’s barring us from entering?”_

“We’re gonna have to go to the source.” He blurted out without thinking.

The rest of the group looked at him confused.

“The source?” Ryuji questioned, “What do you mean?”

Ren didn’t look up, “Think about it. Amagi-san is in Inaba, where the Midnight Channel was first discovered and has only been known to pop up at. We’re all here in Tokyo, where we use the Metanav to enter and exit Palaces and Mementos.”

Morgana perked his ears up, “What are you getting at?”

“We know she has a Palace, but the Metanav is only able to locate it, not take us to it. One of the keywords was Midnight Channel, so that must mean…”

“Her Palace must be inside the world of the Midnight Channel…” Makoto finished for him.

“Correct.”

“I see...and by going to the source would mean…”

Ren stood up from his chair and declared, “We need to go to Inaba and find the Midnight Channel.”

* * *

**_Stop: Disquiet - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

“Are you really sure that this is the best idea?”

Ren was on his repaired laptop, looking at train prices from Tokyo to Inaba. He continued to scroll as Morgana pestered him.

“I’m being serious, Ren. I know it’s our duty as Phantom Thieves, but...is it really smart to just jump in like this?”

“We’ve been putting this aside for far too long. If we don’t fulfill our duty, then we’re doing Satonaka-san and Amagi-san a disservice.”

“You’re very adamant about this request. Any reason why?”

Ren stopped for a second, sighing and looking over at Morgana, “Think about it like this. View every request like it’s a person swimming in the ocean, and their distorted desires surround them like sharks. If the person cries for help and you hear it, you either choose to swim away and let the sharks consume them, or throw them a rope and help them escape.”

He turned back to his laptop, “From the day I got arrested, I’ve vowed to never ignore a cry for help ever again. It’s why I became a Phantom Thief, to begin with. I haven’t missed a call yet, and I certainly am not gonna start with this one, not with a Palace ruler on the loose.”

“That’s very admirable of you, Ren.” Morgana said, Ren not responding, “You really are a true Phantom Thief. Not that I’m surprised, you _are_ our leader.”

Morgana hopped up onto the desk and sat behind the laptop, “Just remember that we’ve all got your back, no matter what happens.”

“Thanks, Morgana,” Ren said with a smile as he continued to scroll.

…

“Hey, check this out.”

Morgana walked around to look at the screen and read the page.

“An apprenticeship at the Inaba police station, huh? Looks like it was just posted today.”

“This could be the ticket we need.”

Morgana nodded, “I agree. Go ahead and apply. We’ll wait for the response tomorrow.”

* * *

**_Stop: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

**_Earlier that day_ **

* * *

“I got the go-ahead from the chief. I’m posting the application now.”

_“Are you really sure about this?”_

“It’s the only thing we can do.”

_“I understand this whole Midnight Channel thing is bothering you, as it should. But…”_

Chie’s hesitation could easily be sensed through the phone, _“Do you really think trying to bring the Phantom Thieves here would fix it?”_

Yu sighed, “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears Chie.”

Chie was silent on the other side of the line, prompting Yu to continue, “Look, I know this is a bad idea, but we have no other options. You saw it, we can’t summon our Personas anymore.”

_“Yeah, I know, but...what makes you think the Phantom Thieves would come all the way out here? As far as anyone knows, they’ve only ever operated in Tokyo.”_

“I just-,” he paused to take a deep breath, “I have to have faith. I can’t just sit by and let this potentially get worse. Without Izanagi, I’m...useless.”

_“You’re not useless, Yu. We just...never mind, your mind’s made up. Just be careful, okay?”_

“I will. Now you go spend time with Yukiko, I’ve gotta go.”

He hung up the phone after they exchanged goodbyes, and he immediately got back to the application.

* * *

Chie stared at the Phantom Aficionado website, at the words on the screen.

The words that she had written. Her request for a change of heart.

It still hadn’t been fulfilled, nearly a week later.

“Your plan better work, Narukami…”

…

Just to the side, she saw the TV screen come alive on its own, and the silhouette of a girl appears on the screen.

Her Shadow, here to taunt her once again.

It grinned deviously at her, tearing holes through her body with the yellow eyes.

Before the Shadow could speak, Chie grabbed a blanket and threw it over the TV.

"Not today..." she said lightly, "Not today..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next operation for the Phantom Thieves officially begins, as Ren awaits a phone call from the Inaba P.D.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll that I've never been on before, and I'm loving it. I've never felt more excited to write new chapters for any fic I've ever written. I have everyone who's subscribed, given kudos, commented, and read the story to thank. I appreciate everything.
> 
> Now, time to continue.

He opened his laptop, the apprenticeship still on his screen when he opened it.

When checking the applications, there was only a handful. Two of them only had a name and personal details, another had a name and nothing else.

Yu sighed heavily as he scrolled through the applicants.

There was one that was completed in full. _“Already?”_ he thought to himself, and he looked over it thoroughly.

_“Third-year student in Tokyo currently enrolled at Shujin Academy. Top marks on exams and engaged with the student council. Highly proficient and knowledgeable. Once held on probation with an assault charge that was dropped after the incident with Masayoshi Shido.”_

He thought hard for a second.

_“Shujin Academy was the first place to be affected by the Phantom Thieves, with that perverted teacher...and if I’m not mistaken…”_

He pulled up another site, the official site of Shujin Academy, where he scrolled through until he found what he needed.

He clicked the link to recently graduated classes and found exactly what he thought.

_"Same school as Prosecutor Niijima’s sister and the daughter of Kunikazu Okumura, both of whom received calling cards from the Phantom Thieves as well…”_

He went back to the applicant and looked at the name.

“Ren Amamiya…” he said quietly to himself as if there was anyone that could hear him.

…

After a minute or two of thinking to himself, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Chie.

Yu: _I think I’ve found our guy._

Chie (after taking a long while to type): _That fast? You posted the ad yesterday._

Yu: _I know. I’m surprised too, but all the pieces add up. I’ll send you what I’ve got._

After writing all of the information down and compiling it together, he sent it in an email to Chie. Her response came a few minutes later.

Chie: _You’re right. The pieces_ do _add up, but...doesn’t it seem a little weird that you may have found them this fast?_

Yu: _That’s...yeah, I can’t argue with that. It’s pretty suspicious. But I think it’s worth a shot. I’ll give him a call later today._

Chie: _Sounds good. Just be sure to keep me updated, alright?_

Yu: _Of course. Talk to you soon._

* * *

Ren had just finished washing the dishes from the morning service, and business at Leblanc had slowed.

He wiped his hands off on his apron, right as Sojiro started another pot of coffee.

“Want me to start some curry for lunch?”

“Sure.”

Right as Ren was about to start, his phone started buzzing in his back pocket.

He pulled his phone out. An unknown number.

“Go ahead and take that first. I’ve got things under control.”

Ren walked away from the counter and towards the back steps before answering the call.

“Hello?”

A man’s voice came through the phone, _“Hi, is this Amamiya-kun?”_

“Speaking. Who is this?”

_“Perfect. I’m calling from Inaba P.D. and I heard you were interested in the apprenticeship opportunity. Mind if I ask you a few more questions about it?”_

* * *

**_Play: Suspicion - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Ren was confused for a second.

_“That response was surprisingly fast...almost too fast…”_

He decided to play along, “Sure. Fire away.”

_“Okay. To start, your profile says you live in Tokyo currently. What made you consider coming all the way out to Inaba?”_

“Well, I’ve been interested in police work for a while, and I’ve seen plenty of how things work here in the city. Guess you could say I just wanted to diversify my sights and see how things work out in a small town. No offense.”

The man on the line laughed, _“None taken. Next question: do you have any experience in this field of work?”_

“I have a little bit. I’ve done some volunteer work in the prosecutor’s office here in the city a few times, especially during the Phantom Thief incidents last year.”

_“Those must have been some strange times for you. Gotta say though, definitely made the news more interesting.”_

“If you think the news was interesting, try living in the city at their peak.”

The two of them shared a laugh.

_“Alright, last question. What are your biggest strengths and your biggest weaknesses?”_

“Hoo boy, saved the best for last huh?”

Ren took a second to really think about this question, “Strengths I’ll have to go with...dependability, teamwork, and leadership, and weaknesses I’ll say...emotional investment.”

_“Can you explain that last one for me?”_

“Some people say that I care too much with the work I do, no matter what it is.”

The man on the line took a little bit before responding, _“Y’know to some people, that’s not a negative quality to have. Shows people that you care about what you do.”_

He continued, _“Well, I don’t have any more questions about the position. Based on the number of applicants...or lack-there-of, you’re basically guaranteed to get it.”_

“That’s great. I’m glad to hear it.”

_“I’ve got one more question though. It’s nothing to do with the position, just out of curiosity.”_

…

_“What are your thoughts on the Phantom Thieves?”_

Ren was taken aback, “Umm...why do you ask?”

_“Feel free to not answer if it makes you uncomfortable. I was only curious due to your provided records. I noticed you attended Shujin Academy-”_

“Attending. I’m still attending Shujin.”

_“My mistake. Attending Shujin Academy, and that’s where the first known incident regarding the Phantom Thieves was recorded. Surely you have some sort of opinion on them, right?”_

“Well…” Ren started, but he hesitated.

_“I need to choose my next words carefully…”_

“During that time, I was still under probation. Due to that and me being in a new area, I really just tried to keep my head down and not let the noise bother me.”

_“That...doesn’t really answer my question.”_

“If you want a clear answer, I guess you could say I was...indifferent about them.”

_“Really. That’s...a lot different from the opinions of others in your demographic.”_

The man continued, _“Well, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’ll call you back in a few days so we can arrange some things for you. Have a good day.”_

He hung up before Ren could even respond.

…

As he slid his phone into his pocket, he couldn’t help but feel off.

_“I put in that application late last night. Unless they’re really in need of extra help, then there’s no reason for him to have called me this early. Not unless they’re trying to bait us in…”_

With those thoughts still racing in his mind, he returned to the kitchen with Sojiro, just as more people started to file into the shop.

 _“Guess it’s better to take the bait rather than to leave it hanging…”_ he thought to himself as he rushed to start the pot of curry that inevitably would be ordered.

He would have to inform the others about that phone call as soon as he was done helping Sojiro.

* * *

Right after Yu hung up, he immediately went to message Chie.

Yu: _Just got off the phone with that Amamiya kid._

Chie, after a long while of waiting (it was only around five minutes, but it felt like forever to Yu): _Sorry, I can’t talk right now. Dojima is on my ass about this whole apprenticeship thing you’re doing. Just send it all right now and I’ll read it when I’m free._

Yu: _Sorry. I’ll do just that. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, just asked him a few basic interview questions. Seems like he’s willing to work hard and maybe...maybe bring a Phantom Thief here? I’m not really sure how that’d work. I’ll stay in touch._

…

He then put his phone down and returned to the application on his screen.

Amamiya didn’t sound like a bad kid. He sounded like someone who just wants to learn more about something he’s interested in and get to know more people in the process.

But at the same time, when his Phantom Thief question had come up, Yu could hear the hesitation and the nervousness in his voice.

_“Was he nervous because he’s one of them or was he nervous because I asked the question unprovoked? Is it both, or neither…? The surrounding area seemed a bit busy from the background noise, it could have been that causing him stress...”_

Yu sighed, closing his laptop and standing to head towards his living room.

He crouched down right in front of his TV, placing a hand on it lightly.

“I know you can hear me,” he said lightly, glaring into the screen, “I don’t know what you want, but rest assured. I _will_ get my Persona back, and I _will_ stop you…”

He stood back up and walked away before anything could happen.

* * *

**_Stop: Suspicion - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Ann: _He really asked you that?_

Ren: _Yeah, I didn’t know what to say. I had to lie and say that I was indifferent._

Makoto: _That’s extremely suspicious. What would an apprenticeship interview have anything to do with the Phantom Thieves?_

Yusuke: _If you’ll allow me to play devil’s advocate, perhaps he was asking because they’re conducting their own investigation into us._

Ryuji: _The police all the way out there investigating us? What for? We’ve never operated outside of Tokyo._

Yusuke: _Just trying to consider every outcome. I apologize if I made any offense._

Haru: _Don’t apologize, Yusuke._

Ren: _Yeah. For all we know, he could’ve just been curious?_

Futaba: _Did the guy ever give you his name?_

Ren: _Now that I think about it, no he never did._

Futaba: _Shoot._

Ren: _No getting any funny ideas, Futaba. We don’t want to screw this up._

Makoto: _Are you still thinking of doing it?_

Ren thought for a minute before he replied: _Yes. I’m gonna take it. He said I’m basically guaranteed the position, so I have to take it if we’re gonna get to the bottom of this._

Ryuji: _Well you’re not goin’ alone. At least one of us has to go with you._

Ren: _Of course. I’ll take Morgana with me._

Ryuji: _I...you know that’s not what I meant, right?_

Ann: _I agree with Ryuji. Just you and Morgana all alone? What if you guys end up getting hurt and can’t run?_

_…_

Morgana spoke up, “What’s the big deal? We can handle ourselves perfectly fine. We did it in Kamoshida’s Palace.”

“Are you saying you _don’t_ want to spend time with Ann?”

That got Morgana extremely flustered, “Whoa whoa whoa! That is NOT what I’m talking about! I’m just saying that you and I as PHANTOM THIEVES can handle ourselves!”

…

Ren grinned at him and typed his response: _He says we can handle ourselves, and I agree._

Makoto: _With all due respect Ren, this isn’t like a normal Palace or Mementos. This is all something we’ve never dealt with before. You may be the best Phantom Thief out of all of us, but you’re not invincible._

Haru: _I agree with Mako-chan. It’s too dangerous for you and Mona-chan to go by yourselves. We could all try and find time to go out there with you._

Yusuke: _It’ll be difficult, but we can manage to find something that can hold all of us for the time being._

Ren: _Guys, listen to me. This may be our only chance to stop whatever could be happening with Amagi-san. If her Shadow truly is out there and inside the Midnight Channel, then we need to stop it before it can harm anybody else. We started the Phantom Thieves to give people hope against people who oppress others for their own selfish gains. We used the Phan Site to try to help everyday people with those in their lives. Satonaka-san put their faith in us to help Yukiko, and all we’ve done so far is run and try to hide from it. Well, I’m done hiding from it. I’m going to Inaba, and I’ll restore as many hearts as I have to before I let Mrs. Amagi’s slip away between the cracks._

…

…

…

Nobody said anything in the chat for a while. Ren was about to start typing an apology, but he didn’t get the opportunity.

Ryuji: _You’re right…_

Ann: _Yeah, you’ve got a point._

Yusuke: _It appears we all lost sight of our true purpose._

Makoto: _We’re sorry, Ren. You’re right. It’s our job as Phantom Thieves to give people hope, but...we’ve all been hesitating._

Haru: _Our apologies for worrying you._

Ren then felt a huge amount of guilt: _Guys, you don’t need to apologize._

Futaba: _If it makes you feel better Ren, I never doubted you for a second._

Ryuji: _Now is not the time for you to try to steal the spotlight!_

Futaba: _Too late ;)_

…

Makoto: _So, you’re really set on going?_

Ren: _Yes._

Yusuke: _While I may have my doubts, I support you._

Ryuji: _Me too._

Haru: _I speak for all of us when I say that we’ll be behind you no matter what you choose._

Ren: _Thanks, everybody. Have a great night._

…

“Looks like we’re going to Inaba,” Morgana said to Ren as he sat up, “You’d better tell the chief before he goes home."

“Yeah,” Ren replied as he stood up and walked downstairs.

…

“Inaba, huh? That’s odd.”

“How is that odd?”

“Well, it’s just...pretty far out there. It’s a small town, you know. You’re gonna get bored quickly.”

“I think with work, I’ll have plenty of distractions. Besides, I think it’ll be nice to get out of the city for a little.”

Sojiro smiled, “True enough. Let me know what day you’re leaving and I’ll give you a drive to the station if needed.”

“I appreciate that. Thanks, Boss.”

“Don’t mention it.”

…

Ren returned to the attic and went back to his bed, where Morgana walked up to sit in front of him.

“I know you’re dealing with enough doubts from everyone else, but I gotta ask before we do this...are you sure? One-hundred percent?”

Ren gave him a nod, “I’m positive. It’s our job as the Phantom Thieves. We need to do this.”

Morgana nodded back at him, “I agree. Our next operation has begun: investigate Inaba, find the Midnight Channel, and rescue Yukiko Amagi’s heart.”

Ren narrowed his eyes and nodded once again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day arrives for Ren and Morgana to head to Inaba and continue the search for the Midnight Channel and Yukiko Amagi's Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My streak of one post per day on this was broken by forty minutes...
> 
> Oh well. Time to start a new one. Let's continue.

**_Play: Home - Persona 5: Strikers (or Scramble, whichever it is for you)_ **

* * *

Ren zipped up his suitcase and placed it down on the floor, double-checking the bed and shelves for anything he had forgotten.

“You got everything you’re gonna need?” Sojiro asked him from the steps, standing next to the bag that Morgana was in.

“Yep. All good to go.”

A few days ago, the same man from before called to let Ren know that he had gotten the position and the two of them worked out all of the travel and lodging details. Today, he was leaving for Inaba.

And while it was really for Phantom Thief business, he couldn’t help but feel excited about this new opportunity.

“You sure you don’t need me to drive you to the station?”

He pulled the suitcase over towards the steps where Sojiro was waiting, “I’m sure. I’ve gotta hand Morgana off to Makoto anyways, since she’ll be taking care of him while I’m gone.”

“We could’ve taken him back at my place, you know.”

“I know, but I don’t want him getting in the way there or here at the shop. It’ll only be for a few weeks, anyway.”

“Well alright then.”

Ren picked up the Morgana bag and the two of them headed downstairs. Leblanc was empty, as Sojiro had purposely kept it closed for a little longer before Ren left.

They got to the door, and Sojiro put his hand out in front of him towards Ren.

“Good luck, and be careful. Let me know when you get there.”

Ren smiled, taking Sojiro’s hand and shaking it, “I will. I’ll see you soon.”

He let go of Sojiro’s hand, and he opened the door and walked out into the street.

…

Outside, Yusuke and Futaba were waiting for him.

“There you are!” Futaba said, popping up instantly and moving towards him, “Did you pack the whole attic? What took so long?”

Morgana popped out of his bag and spoke, “We had to make sure not to forget anything. Sorry.”

“Are you two ready to go?”

“Yeah, we’re good. Where’s the van?”

Yusuke stood straight up from the wall he was leaning on, “It’s parked just down the street, by Boss’s house.”

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

The three of them, with Morgana keeping his head poked out, walked away from Leblanc.

…

Ryuji and Haru were standing outside of the van, with Ann and Makoto sitting in the front seats when they walked up.

“There you guys are!” He said with a smile Ren stopped before him.

Makoto rolled down the window and asked him, “Are you ready to go?”

He gave her a thumbs-up, as Ryuji came up and grabbed his suitcase from him.

“Let me get this for ya.”

“You don’t have to do that, Ryuji.”

“C’mon, it’s the least I can do!”

Ren just shook his head and smiled, “Alright then…”

With his suitcase loaded, the Thieves all piled inside. Not long after, they were driving off.

…

“Isn’t this exciting? Getting an opportunity to work in this position isn’t something you find very often, especially not here.”

Ren nodded, “I’m grateful for it.”

“But man,” Ryuji said to Ren’s right, “To think that one request would have you going all the way to Inaba. Never thought it’d play out like this when we first saw it on the site.”

“But it’s given us a new opportunity as Phantom Thieves as well,” Haru added from the back, “It’ll allow us to help more people outside of Tokyo. Or really, allow _you_ to help more people.”

“Do you guys remember the rules we went over?” Morgana piped up from the bag on Ren’s lap.

Ann looked back and said, “I think so. Just check in on Mementos and be sure to report any new palaces we see to you and Ren. Right?”

“There was also to avoid meeting at Leblanc to discuss Thieves business. Our temporary hideout is to be the café on Central Street.”

“That’s all right, but there’s one more.”

“Ahh crap, what was it again?” Ryuji said while rubbing the back of his head.

Ren chuckled at them, “The last one is that Makoto is acting leader of the Phantom Thieves. She’ll decide when you go to the Metaverse and everything around that. She’ll also be the point of contact for Mishima when any new requests come in.”

“I won’t let you down, Joker. I mean, Ren.”

“I know you won’t. None of you ever have and you never will.”

“Aww Ren, you’re gonna make Ryuji blush.” Futaba teased.

“Knock it off!”

Haru giggled and joined her, “I think he already is!”

“Not you too!”

They all shared a laugh, except for Ryuji.

…

…

…

They were now on the platform, just as Ren’s train pulled in. The doors opened, and the intercom above called to the passengers to board.

“Well,” Ren said, looking back at the entire group, “It’s time.”

One by one, they gave him a goodbye message.

Ryuji: “Be careful out there, man.”

Ann: “Let us know if anything happens!”

Yusuke: “We’ll be there at a moment’s notice if you call.”

Makoto: “Stay safe, and look out for each other.”

Futaba: “I’ll be watching you out there, so don’t do anything stupid!”

Haru: “Please come home safe and sound.”

Ren smiled brightly and gave them one last, “Take care, guys. We’ll be back soon.”

Morgana peaked out and yelled to them, “Don’t forget about me!”

“We’ll see you both soon!”

…

Ren gave one last wave to his friends on the platform from his seat, all of them waving back as the train slowly started to move away from the platform.

Within a few seconds, they were past and out of the station, on their way to Inaba.

He unzipped the bag slightly more, and Morgana peaked out, “No turning back now. It’s only gonna be you and me from this point forward. Are you ready?”

He nodded, “I’ve been ready.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Morgana then popped out fully, “The duo that started it all! Joker and Mona, gonna take down Amagi’s Palace by themselves!”

One of the train staff was walking nearby, “Did...did I just hear a cat?”

“Shut up and get back in the bag!” He whispered to Morgana, who quickly stuffed himself back inside.

He looked outside of the window, as the Tokyo skyline slowly got smaller and smaller the farther they moved away.

_“I promised back in Mementos that we’d take her heart…”_

_“We’re coming, Mrs. Amagi. We’re gonna help you, no matter what…”_

* * *

**_Stop: Home - Persona 5: Strikers_ **

* * *

The room was dark and empty. The only light was the little amount of sunlight coming from the closed blinds.

His grip faltered a bit, but he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and calmed himself. His grip tightened on the blade handle.

Lifting the sword above his head, he swiped down quickly. He wasn’t swiping at anything, just trying to gain control.

He hadn’t wielded a sword like this in years. The department didn’t allow them, despite his proficiency with the blade in his hands.

He then brought the sword back behind him, thinking back to the TV world and the Midnight Channel, closing his eyes…

…

In his head, he imagined that he was facing a Shadow. _His_ Shadow, standing before him and holding the same blade.

_“I have to face myself…”_

His eyes opened, and he slashed forward. He imagined his Shadow blocking his blade and countering, which he blocked himself.

In the real world, he was just slashing at nothing in a dark room. But in his mind, he was doing it.

Facing his Shadow, to reclaim what he had lost.

His Shadow stabbed at him, and he kicked them back.

He brought his sword back and slashed upwards, making contact and cutting straight through.

He then stood up tall and held his sword at his side.

…

When Yu opened his eyes, he was back in the room. His Shadow was gone, as it was never really there.

The only problem was the massive gash that was now in the wallpaper…

He rubbed the back of his head, letting out a light “Whoops”.

…

Just then, his cell phone started ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and read the screen.

It was Chie.

Yu answered, “Yeah?”

_“Hey, that guy’s train is gonna be here soon. You gonna come by so we can go pick him up?”_

He looked at the clock on the wall. It looks like he had been at it for longer than he planned…

“Oh, yeah. Guess I lost track of time. I’ll be there soon.”

_“You’d better hurry or we’re gonna be late.”_

“Relax. We won’t be late.”

With that, Yu left the room and hung the sword up in his bedroom, where it would stay until it was needed.

He then departed his home.

* * *

_Seems like it crept up out of nowhere_

_All-around_

_You it’s not quite what you foretold_

_…_

He lowered the volume on his phone a little before going back to the magazine he was looking through. Morgana was peeking his head out to look through the window, watching the countryside and the trees pass by.

“Enjoying the view?” Ren quietly asked him.

“Yeah. It’s nice. Have you ever seen anything like it?”

“I have.” He said as he continued skimming through the magazine.

…

A little after that, the intercom on the train came alive.

_“Now arriving in Inaba Station. Please gather your belongings and prepare to head to the nearest exit when the train is stopped.”_

“Looks like we’re here,” Ren said as he took out his earbuds and returned them to his bag. Morgana also returned to his bag as Ren began to pack up all of his belongings.

Soon, the train began to slow and then came to a halt when they reached the station. Ren got up, slinging the Morgana bag over his shoulder and moving to grab his suitcase from the overhead bin.

Once done, he walked towards the exit of the train, proceeding down the platform and towards the exit.

* * *

**_Play: New Days - Persona 4_ **

* * *

He finally reached the exit to the station, walking through the doorway and down the steps.

Here they were. Inaba, the home of the Midnight Channel.

Morgana popped out once again and took a large, deep breath.

“Wow...the air is so _fresh_! It’s like I’m in a whole new ecosystem!”

Ren smiled at him, “Nice, isn’t it?”

“You bet it is! The air in Tokyo’s got NOTHIN’ on this! I like this town already.”

“Hey!” They heard someone yell.

“Oh snap. Incoming.” Morgana said as he scurried back into the bag.

…

When Ren looked over, he saw two people approaching him, a man and a woman, both dress in business casual. The man had a head of silver hair while the woman had bowl-shaped light brown hair.

As they approached, the man asked him a question, “Are you Ren Amamiya?”

Ren nodded, “Yes sir. That’s me.”

“Okay good. See? Why do you always doubt my judgment?”

The woman shot the man an annoyed look, “I’ve been doubting things you’ve done for years now.”

The man sighed but looked back at Ren with a smile, “Sorry, where are my manners. My name is Yu Narukami. I’m the one that set up that apprenticeship you applied for.”

“Oh, well,” Ren put a hand out and Yu took it, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sensei.”

“Please, there’s no need to be formal. Just call me Yu, or Narukami. Whatever you prefer.”

Yu then gestured over to the woman on his left, “This is my partner. I’ll allow her to introduce herself.”

The woman put a hand out, “Satonaka-Amagi. _Chie_ Satonaka-Amagi.”

Ren took her hand and shook it kindly, but...he’d heard that name before.

…

_“Chie Satonaka-Amagi. A detective at the local police department.”_

_“Satonaka-Amagi? That’s a weird last name.”_

_“Amagi must be the surname. Perhaps Amagi-san’s spouse?”_

_“Correct.”_

…

He then thought, _“That’s right. She was the one that put in the request for Amagi-san. And she’s Mrs. Amagi’s spouse? Interesting...”_

While those thoughts went through his head, he smiled and shook her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Satonaka-san. Can I call you that?”

“No need. Just Chie is fine.”

“Alright.”

“Now that pleasantries are out of the way, why don’t we go somewhere else where we can chat?”

“Sounds good.”

With that, the three of them walked away from the station.

…

They found a park table to sit at and were enjoying a leisure conversation among themselves.

“So, how long have you two been working together?”

Yu answered first, “Years now. I worked at the department in my old hometown for a few months before I moved back here.”

“Moved _back_ here?”

“Yeah. I lived here for about a year when we were in high school because of my parents. That’s when I met Chie and all of our other friends.”

Chie picked up for him, “He left right before we graduated from high school. Aside from a few visits, we never really saw him until he moved back to town full time.”

“The chief made us partners after that, and it’s been like that ever since.”

“Really? How long ago was that?”

“I dunno,” Chie said before looking to Yu, “It’s been what, four years now?”

He nodded, “Coming up on five.”

“Jeez. Time flies. Don’t you agree?”

Ren lightly chuckled, “I do.”

…

“Well, tell me more about yourself. Yu said that you had an assault charge on your record at one point. What happened with that?”

“Oh yeah. That.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

“No no, it’s fine.”

Morgana whispered from the bag, “Don’t disclose too much…!”

Ren ignored him, crossed his arms, and began, “One night when I was going back home, I ran into this drunk guy being really grabby and pushy with a woman. He kept trying to force her into getting into a car with him, and I just couldn’t let it go, y’know? Unfortunately, when I stepped in, the guy ended up falling and hurting himself. To make matters worse, he made the woman lie and tell the police I attacked him out of nowhere.”

Ren looked down at the grass, “That man was Masayoshi Shido before I knew who he really was.”

“Jeez...now I feel bad for voting for the guy.”

“Huh?”

Chie flinched, “Oh, sorry! He was...trying to make a joke.”

She shot him a glare, as Ren just laughed lightly.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s fine. It’s all in the past, and besides. It was dropped anyway after his confession.”

“Right…”

…

Yu then looked at his watch, “Oh wow. It got late fast.”

He then stood up, “We can start working tomorrow if you want. I’m glad to give you a day or two to get used to the town if you need.”

Ren shook his head, “There’s no need. I’ll figure it out.”

Yu smiled, “Well alright then.”

“You’re staying at the Amagi Inn while you’re here, right?” Chie asked him.

“That’s right.”

Chie stood up as well, “Cool. I live nearby there, so I’ll show you the way. You can head home, Narukami. I’ve got this.”

“You sure?”

She nodded.

“If you say so. It was nice to talk with you in person, Ren. I hope you’ll enjoy working with us these next few weeks.”

“I hope so as well.”

Yu smiled and waved at the two of them as he walked off into the streets of Inaba.

“The Inn isn’t too far of a walk from here. Just follow me.”

Ren grabbed the Morgana bag and his suitcase, “Lead the way.”

The two of them walked in a different direction of town.

* * *

**_Stop: New Days - Persona 4_ **

**_Play: Signs of Love - Persona 4_ **

* * *

She opened the door to the Inn and the two of them entered together.

The main lobby was empty aside from one person. It was a tall dark-haired woman wearing a long, pink kimono.

Wait, where had he seen that before?

The woman turned back to them, speaking as she did so, “Hi, welcome to the Amagi I- Oh, Chie! You’re home!”

Chie gave a small wave to the woman, “Hey Yuki.”

Ren just stood there as Chie walked up and hugged the woman in the kimono, a hug that lasted a good while.

When the two of them pulled apart, Chie spoke to the woman, “I brought us a guest today.”

She turned to Ren and said, “This is Ren Amamiya. He’s the one that got the apprenticeship that Narukami is doing. Ren, this is Yukiko Amagi, my...wife.”

…

_“So, this is the real Yukiko Amagi.”_

Yukiko walked up to Ren with a smile and shook his hand lightly, “It’s very nice to meet you, Ren. I’m glad you’ll be staying with us while you’re here.”

“Yeah…” Ren said lightly, “Me too.”

“If Chie or Yu are ever pushing you too hard, let me know. I’ll be sure to give them a stern talk if they do.”

“I’m hurt you’d assume I’d do anything like that to him.”

The two of them giggled lightly, Ren just continuing to watch the two of them.

…

Yukiko then brought her attention back to Chie, “I’ll meet you in the back once I’m done helping him to his room, okay?”

Chie fake pouted, “Okay fiiine. If you insist.”

She grinned and walked over to Yukiko, leaning up and kissing her lightly on her cheek, “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

“I’ll see you at the station tomorrow, Ren.”

Chie then walked off into the Inn, leaving a flustered Yukiko and a still observing Ren alone.

…

“Looks like you two have a great relationship.”

Yukiko’s smile was massive, “Chie is the best. I hope you enjoy working with her. How long is the apprenticeship?”

“A few weeks.”

“That’s great! Enjoy every second of it, okay?”

“I will.”

“Now,” she said, reaching for his suitcase, “Allow me to take this and show you to your room.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I can take it.”

Yukiko smiled at him once again, “Please allow me. You’re our guest here, y’know. Now, follow me.”

…

He followed her until they stood in front of the door to where Ren would be staying for his time in Inaba.

“I made sure to put you somewhere near Chie and me, so if you need us for anything you can easily find us.”

“You two...live here?”

She nodded, “We have our own private area, away from the guests. It’s just down the hall though. If you ever need one of us, just come by.”

She then unlocked and opened the door to the room. It was small but cozy. It had a bed in the far back corner, a small couch and a TV on the left side wall, and the door to the washroom was in the far right corner.

“I hope this works for you.”

Ren walked in behind her, “It’s perfect. Thank you, ma’am.”

“Glad I could help. Now, here’s your key.” She said, giving him the room key, “And I’ll get out of your way so you can rest. I’m sure you’re exhausted from the trip out here.”

Now that he thought about it, he _was_ feeling a bit tired.

Yukiko was already past him and closing the door, “Have a great night and enjoy your stay, Ren.”

“Thank you, Amagi-san.” He replied.

With that, she shut the door.

…

…

…

After hearing her feet move down the hall, he finally placed down the bag and unzipped it fully.

“Alright Morgana, time for you to come out.”

Morgana jumped out of the bag, almost knocking Ren over.

“Jeez, man! If I had known it’d take this long for me to get out of this stupid bag, I’d have stayed back with the other guys!”

“I...did offer to have you stay with Makoto.”

“And let you do this on your own? No way!”

Ren sighed, “I’ll buy you sushi later to make up for it. Now just calm down.”

Morgana sat down, “Fine, but...I heard all of that. So, you’ve met Yukiko.”

Ren walked over to the bed in the corner and sat down, “Yeah, I have…”

“Well…?”

“I gotta say...she’s nothing like her Shadow acted. She’s kind, respectful, and she and Chie seem like they have a great relationship.”

He looked down at the floor, “Which makes me wonder why she put in that request in the first place…”

“From what I heard, it didn’t seem like Amagi would be the type of person to have a Palace.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s what makes this so weird…”

Morgana stretched out, “Well, we can worry about that later. Tomorrow, the real investigation starts once you’re done working at the station.”

Ren nodded, “Right.”

He went and shut the lights off and then climbed into the bed.

…

_“Yukiko in person is certainly much different from her Shadow counterpart. Is she hiding it to remain hospitable, or...No, there’s gotta be something. She has a Palace. There has to be something that we’re not seeing…”_

Whatever secrets she and this town held they would find.

Just some other day. It was a long day of traveling for them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their first day in Inaba, Ren and Morgana try to act like model citizens in this new town and make a surprising discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the no update yesterday. I put out a couple of fics for Valentine's Day and just couldn't find the time for this one.
> 
> Anyways, let's continue.

**_Play: Heartbeat, Heartbreak - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Ren was already up and getting himself prepared when Morgana was waking up.

He stretched himself out and scratched behind his ear, “You’re up early.”

“Gonna try to be there early, especially since I’m gonna have to find where the station is.”

“You could just look it up, y’know.”

“I know, but I also want to go explore the town a little bit. Just get a feel for it, y’know.”

He then opened up the bag, motioning for Morgana to enter, “Now hurry up. We’ve gotta go.”

“Alright alright. But you better not forget my sushi you promised yesterday!”

Ren sighed, “We’ll get you sushi on the way back. Just get in the bag.”

Morgana complied, and Ren lifted the bag strap over his shoulder and headed towards the door. He locked the door behind him and walked down the hall.

…

When he reached the lobby, he ran into Yukiko again.

She smiled when she noticed him, “Good morning, Amamiya-kun. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Actually...yes. It was very nice.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m assuming you’re heading to the station now, yes?”

“That’s right. Has Chie already left?”

She nodded, “She left a few minutes before you came down. I should’ve had her wait for you, I apologize.”

“It’s alright. I’ll figure it out.”

“Well just in case, I’ll give you the directions. Just walk through the central shopping district and take a left once you get to Junes. It’ll be about two blocks down the road from there.”

“Thank you.”

She grinned and bowed lightly, “It’s my pleasure. Have a great day!”

“You too.” He said as he walked out the front door and into the streets of the town.

…

“I gotta say,” Morgana said from the bag as Ren walked through town, “Mrs. Amagi seems like the opposite of the Shadow version of her we met in Mementos.”

“I know, I agree. It’s like she’s a whole different person.”

“Granted, she could just be putting on an act to lower suspicion, but…”

“I don’t think that’s the case this time,” Ren said as he and Morgana were passing by some old shops. This must’ve been the shopping district that Yukiko had mentioned.

 _“Just pass through here and a left at the Junes.”_ He remembered.

He then continued his conversation with Morgana, “If she was hiding something, then the people around her would be acting differently as well, almost as if they felt the energy of their Shadows. But when I first arrived last night, Chie acted...well, comfortable.”

“Well, they’re married after all. Of course she’d act comfortable around her.”

“I’d agree with that, but remember. Chie is the one that put in the request. If she had a real reason why then we’d have noticed something different in her behavior.”

Ren then shook his head, “Let’s talk about this later. We can go over everything when we start investigating the Midnight Channel.”

“Yep.”

…

He reached an intersection with stoplights for the cars in the road. Across the street from him was a large department store.

“That must be Junes.” Morgana said as he popped out and stood on his shoulder, “It’s huge. Who’d have thought a store like that would be in this town.”

“Amagi-san said to head left from here…Okay.”

When the lights indicated, he walked across the road to the left, away from Junes and the shopping district.

“What sort of work do you think they’ll have you do?”

“I’m not sure. It probably wouldn’t be anything too involved. I wouldn’t be going around working crime scenes, I think.”

…

As he was nearing the station, his phone started buzzing.

It was a phone call from Ryuji.

Ren answered, “Hey Ryuji. What’s up?”

 _“Good, you answered. You didn’t say anything to us after you left yesterday. Did you make it?”_ _  
_“Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I’m fine, made it here without an issue.”

_“That’s good to hear. After you left, Makoto put me in charge of checking up with you, but I kinda forgot about it until this morning. By the way, did you meet her?”_

“Her?”

_“Y’know, Amagi. The target?”_

“Oh. I have, yes.”

_“Okay, well...what do ya think?”_

“What do I think about what?”

_“About Amagi, dude! Come on, you can’t be THAT clueless.”_

It was then that Ren figured out what Ryuji meant, and he sighed, “Ryuji, two things. One: she’s an adult and you’re still in high school. Two: she’s married, so hands off or you’ll get messed up.”

_“Aww come on! Y’know I’m just messin’ around!”_

He laughed for a little before he softly asked, _“But seriously, is she as good as she looks in the photos? Cuz hoooo man.”_

“I’m telling her wife you said that.”

_“Hahaha oh Ren. You’re hilarious!”_

Ren said nothing as Ryuji took a second to process.

_“Wait, did you just say “wife”?”_

Ren grinned and said, “Talk to you later, Ryuji.”

 _“Hey, wait a se-”_ but Ren hung up before Ryuji could finish.

“What in the world is wrong with him?”

Ren shook his head while still smiling, “That’s just Ryuji bein’ Ryuji.”

…

They finally arrived at the police station, a tall building with police cars parked on the side away from the regular vehicles.

“Finally, we made it.” Morgana said, “Now remember: be a good student and just do what Narukami says. We don’t want you to draw any attention to yourself.”

“And you stay in the bag and don’t say anything.”

“It’s gonna be double the sushi after today.”

Morgana went back into the bag, Ren just sighing and heading inside the building.

…

He went up to the woman at the reception desk, “Hi, I’m Ren Amamiya, here for-,”

“The apprenticeship with Narukami? Yeah, he already told me about it.”

“Oh, uhh…”

She pulled a card up from the desk and gave it to Ren, “This will give you access to the main offices. It only works from 9 AM to 5 PM, so be sure you don’t leave anything behind at night.”

“Okay...thank you.”

With that exchange done, he walked away and towards the rear elevators.

_“If only Narukami told me which floor he worked on…”_

Before he could enter one of the elevators though, a familiar voice called to him from behind.

“Hey, Amamiya!”

He turned to see Chie jogging up to him.

“I left the Inn this morning as early as I could. How’d you get here before me?”

Ren shrugged, “I dunno. Yukiko said you left a few minutes before I even came down.”

Chie sighed, “Ah well. Come on, Yu should be waiting for us upstairs.”

They entered the elevator together, Chie pressing the button for the third floor.

…

Once the doors shut, Chie spoke to him, “By the way, you weren’t...disturbed or anything about last night, right?”

He looked over confused, “What about last night?”

“With uhh...Yukiko and I…”

“Oh. No, of course not.”

“Really?”

The doors opened and the two of them walked out, “Yeah. Y’know back home, one of my friends is dating another girl. They’ve been together for a while now, actually.”

“Oh, well...that’s a relief. I dunno, I thought you’d find it weird or something.”

Ren smiled, “Not at all. You two seem like you’re happy together.”

Chie smiled, blushing a little bit, “Yeah, we really are…”

“That’s good. I hope it stays that way.”

…

The two of them eventually ran into Yu, who was sitting at his desk and looking through some papers. When he noticed them walking towards him, he stood up and smiled.

“There you are. I was worried you weren’t actually gonna show up.”

“I’m sorry about that. Am I late?”

He shook his head, “You’re not, no. Unlike Chie over there…”

“Hey! I’m not late, y’know!”

Yu chuckled, “Anyways, now that you’re here…”

He then turned back away and called for someone else, “Hey Uncle! He’s here.”

An older man walked over to them, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder, “Is this the kid?”

“Yes sir.” Yu then looked at Ren, “This is the chief, Ryotaro Dojima. He’s also my uncle.”

Ren nodded and put a hand out towards Dojima, “It’s nice to meet you, sir. I hope I can be helpful in any way.”

Dojima shook his hand, “You’d better. You’re the first person I’ve allowed to do something like this, so make yourself useful.”

He then looked at Chie and Yu, “You two wanted this, so I’m leaving it to you. Look after him and make sure he doesn’t mess anything up.”

“Yes sir.” They said in unison as Dojima walked away back to his own business.

Chie sighed, “Chief’s really lighting up the room today, huh?”

“I apologize if I’m causing any disturbance,” Ren said to the two of them.

“Oh no, you’re not.” Yu responded, “Don’t worry about uncle. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him.”

“I sure hope so…” Ren heard Morgana say from the bag.

“Alright, let’s get to work.”

…

…

…

“So...do you ever go out and actually investigate crime scenes?”

“Yeah, of course. Just not very often, small town and all.”

“I see…”

Ren handed him the next set of papers for Yu to sort through and sign, “What made you want to become a detective anyway?”

Yu thought on the question as he worked, “The whole Inaba murders case a decade ago. You’ve heard of it, right?”

Ren nodded, so Yu continued, “That whole case happened during the time I was here for a year. I saw what it was doing to Dojima and the impact it was having on the whole town. Hell, some of my friends were kidnapped and could’ve ended up victims themselves.”

“From that day forward, I knew I wanted to stop crimes like that from happening again. That’s why I came back to be a detective. This town isn’t much and we’re a pretty tight-knit group, but...it’s home.”

“That’s very...admirable of you, Narukami.”

Yu smiled, “It’s nothing. I’m sure everyone else here would say the same thing.”

“Now, where was I?” He said, returning to his paperwork.

* * *

**_Stop: Heartbeat, Heartbreak - Persona 4_ **

* * *

The day had overall been pretty boring. Narukami had been right, there must not have been much going on in the town.

It was late in the afternoon, and Ren, Chie, and Yu were all walking along the sidewalk together.

“I don’t mean any offense to your town, but...don’t you ever get bored of days like this?”

Yu shook his head, “None taken, and personally no. Honestly, it just shows that we’re doing our jobs the right way, y’know?”

“He says as if he doesn’t yearn to bust a drug ring or something someday.” Chie teased him.

“Like you wouldn’t.”

The three laughed as Yu looked back at Ren, “The town is probably a big adjustment for you. We’re definitely not Tokyo. There are no mafias or corrupt politicians or Phantom Thieves. Just us and our small town.”

“I’ve noticed. It’s different, but...I like it.”

“Good.”

…

“Hey! Big Bro!”

A girl’s voice called to them from ahead, and Yu smiled as they approached.

“Nanako!”

The girl, “Nanako”, ran up to them and gave Yu a big hug. She was dressed in what Ren could only assume was the local high school uniform, with her long brown hair tied back into a ponytail.

Yu chuckled, “Whoa. You’re acting like I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Nanako released him from her grasp and smiled, “Sorry. I was just going through town and I saw you. I just had to come to say hi!”

She also looked over to Chie and gave her a wave, “Hi Chie-san! It’s so nice to see you!”

“Hey, Nanako. Why are you in your uniform? Aren’t you guys on break?”

“We are, but I had to go in for band practice today, which reminds me. I need to get you both tickets for our next concert! Oh, but...it’s not for a while, so never mind...”

Her eyes then went over to Ren, “I...don’t think we’ve met before. Are you new in town?”

Yu responded before Ren could, “Oh, this is Ren Amamiya. He’s a student working with us on an apprenticeship. He’s a high school student, like you.”

“Oh! That sounds like fun! Are you a third-year student?”

Ren nodded, “Yes I am. Are you?”

“I’m a second-year, but it’s very nice to meet you, Senpai! I hope you and Big Bro can get along!”

“We’re getting along great, actually.”

Nanako smiled, “I’m glad to hear!”

She then checked the time, and gasped, “Oh shoot! I’m gonna be late!”

“I’ve gotta go, but I’ll talk to you all soon, okay?”

She gave Yu one last hug, which he returned, “See you later Big Bro! And you too Chie-san and Amamiya-senpai!”

With that, Nanako took off in the opposite direction of them.

“Is she your younger sister?” Ren asked Yu as they started walking again.

“Cousin, actually. But all things considered, I might as well be her older brother.”

…

They had stopped for a minute near the shopping district to continue their conversation when they overheard some high school students gossiping nearby.

“You really saw it?”

“Yeah, I totally did. There was a guy on the screen for a minute and then it disappeared. I couldn’t tell what he looked like though…”

“Aww man. What’s the point of even checking the channel if we can’t tell who’s on it?”

“I dunno. We’ll just have to keep trying. Check it again tonight. It’s supposed to be raining overnight, yeah?”

_“Sounds like they’re talking about the Midnight Channel...I should ask Yu and Chie if they know anything about it.”_

Ren looked back at Chie and Yu, “Wonder what they’re talking about.”

The two of them exchanged nervous glances, not responding to him.

He faked concern, “Are...you two okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah yeah! We’re fine! Uhh…”

Yu sighed, “I know what they’re talking about.”

“Oh?”

Chie looked at Yu with concern, but he just shook his head to her and turned back to Ren, “It’s an old urban legend here in Inaba. According to some people, on nights where it rains and you look into your TV, it’ll come on and show you who your soulmate is. It’s been goin’ around for a while now.”

“Really…” Ren said, the curiosity in his voice obvious, “What’s it called?”

“People in town call it the “Midnight Channel”, since...well, that’s the only time it appears.”

 _“So they know about it…”_ Ren thought to himself, _“I should push for more…”_

“Have either of you ever tried it?”

Yu nodded, “I did once when I was younger but didn’t see anything so I chalked it up to a myth. Chie though…”

She glared at him, whispering “Don’t you dare…”

“Chie told me and our friends that she saw a girl on it the first time she checked...and guess who she’s married to now...”

Chie smacked Yu on the shoulder hard and yelled “You dick!”, but he just laughed at her embarrassment. Ren cracked a smile but didn’t dare to laugh.

“So, does that mean it’s real?”

“You’re asking the wrong person. Ask Chie…”

She hissed at him, “Don’t make me kick your ass in front of a kid, Narukami!”

This time, he and Ren both laughed.

* * *

**_Play: Signs of Love - Persona 4_ **

* * *

He was walking through the halls of the Inn when he ran into Yukiko, who was carrying a basket of linens and blankets. She stumbled to her side and nearly tripped.

Ren jumped in and stopped her from falling, “Whoa there!”

He then walked ahead of her and said, “Here, let me take that.” as he grabbed the basket that she had dropped, none of the contents having fallen out, thankfully.

“Oh please, that’s not-,”

Ren shook his head, “Please. I insist. Where are these going?”

“They’re supposed to go to the washroom downstairs…”

“Okay, lead the way.”

…

When they were done with that, Yukiko looked at him with a smile, “I’m sorry you had to do that, but...I do appreciate the help.”

“It’s not a problem. Are you...working by yourself?”

“Oh, of course not. We have other staff, of course. But you’ve just so happened to run into me when I’m by myself.”

“Well, if you ever need any help, I’d be glad to assist you.”

She shook her head, “I appreciate the offer, but no thank you. You’re our guest, not our servant.”

“I understand.”

“Were Chie and Narukami giving you a hard time today?”

“Not at all, actually. If anything, Narukami was giving _her_ a hard time.”

Yukiko sighed, but smiled, “Of course. He just _loves_ to tease us, ever since she and I first got together.”

“Oh?”

“He...set us up on Valentine’s Day when we were in high school, and we’ve been together ever since.”

She chuckled, “I remember the first thing he said when we got together was “When’s the wedding?””

The two of them laughed.

…

Yukiko then said, “Well, I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Alright. My offer is still on the table if you need an extra set of hands.”

“If it comes to that point, I’ll let you know. Thank you again, Amamiya-kun.”

He nodded to her, smiling before walking back towards his room at the Inn.

…

“Boring day of work, huh?” Morgana asked him as he searched through the Phan Site on his phone.

“Yeah. Not that I expected much.”

The small pattering of rain on the window filled the silence in the room.

“So, anything new on the site?”

Ren shook his head, “Nothin’.”

“Well, let’s leave that to the others. We should focus on our task here: the Midnight Channel.”

He then put his phone away and sat up so he and Morgana could talk, “That’s right. Those students in town mentioned that they’ve been checking it recently. You heard that?”

“I did. I heard everything you talked about today. They mentioned it shows up on rainy nights, and then there was that whole story with Chie and how she saw it.”

“They know about it…” He said lightly, which Morgana didn’t hear.

“Hmm?”

“The Midnight Channel. They knew, even before Narukami told that story. I saw it in their expressions, they looked...afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“I can’t explain it other than that. It was as if they wanted to avoid talking about it.”

“That’s really suspicious…”

* * *

**_Stop: Signs of Love - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Their conversation continued as the clock slowly moved towards midnight.

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Ding_

…

Out of nowhere, the TV turned itself on, much to the surprise of Ren and Morgana.

Morgana looked over at Ren, “Did you do that?”

He shook his head.

The two of them immediately walked over to the TV, looking into the screen and the static.

* * *

**_Play: Who is There? - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Just a second after, the screen changed. There was a yellow border and a man in the center of the screen.

“This is it!” Morgana said with excitement, “The Midnight Channel!”

Ren was too enthralled to say anything.

_“It finally appeared…”_

…

Then, the figure on the screen spoke to the two of them. The voice was distorted, so they couldn’t tell if it was male or female.

_“It seems you’ve finally arrived, Phantom Thieves…”_

Their eyes widened. It...knew who they were?

Ren put his hand up on the screen, “Who are you?”

Big mistake.

…

Before he could get a response, he was being pulled in.

He stopped it, but something was pulling him inside.

Morgana ran up to help, but there was nothing he could do in cat form.

Ren continued to struggle, but it was no use. Soon, his entire arm was engulfed inside the TV.

Then, after one last tug, his entire body fell inside.

“Joker!” Morgana yelled as Ren was fully pulled inside.

Despite his initial shock, Morgana sprung into action, jumping into the TV screen himself.

…

…

…

After falling for what seemed like forever, Joker landed on a hard, metal surface. The pain in his back from the fall kept him on the floor for a good minute.

As he was standing, he heard loud yelling coming from above, and he soon collided with another falling figure.

Once the initial dizziness faded, he pushed the figure off of him and stood up. He looked down at what had hit him, and…

“Morgana?”

Morgana stood up, his head wobbling back and forth, “Whoaaaaaa...what a wild ride…”

“Mona, snap out of it.”

Mona did by shaking his head a bunch, and turned back towards him, “J-Joker? Your...your outfit…”

He looked down at his hand, and sure enough, his Phantom Thief outfit had appeared. Were they in the Metaverse? If so, this sure was an unorthodox way of entering.

“Is this...the TV world?” Mona asked quietly.

“It must be. Where else would we have ended up?”

_“So, all those rumors were true...this must’ve been where the kidnapped victims were thrown…”_

…

“The fog is bad here.” Mona said as he examined the area, “I can’t see a thing…”

He then turned towards Joker, “Let’s just pick a direction and head that way. It’d be better than us just standing around here.”

Joker nodded, and he and Mona started to walk through the fog.

…

…

…

As they walked, the surface under his boots changed from metallic to gravelly, and soon the fog had begun to clear.

“Wait a minute, this is…” Mona said as they stopped.

“It’s Inaba...the town…”

The town of Inaba stood before them, empty and quiet. All of the shops and sites they had passed that day were all that remained…

“I knew there was something off about all those TV world rumors, but...a full-on replica of Inaba? I didn’t expect that…”

“You think this is just the cognitive version of it?”

“I’m not sure,” Mona said, turning back to Joker, “But this sure does have me curious.”

Just then, his eyes widened.

“Joker, behind you!”

He turned back and saw a Shadow standing before him. It had no face or body features, just a dark...blob.

…

Joker’s eyes narrowed, “Are you the one that brought us here?” He asked the Shadow.

It didn’t respond, just waving around in its form.

“I don’t think this is a Shadow we can talk with…” Mona said from behind Joker.

Right after he said that the Shadow started to mutate and transform. 

After a few seconds, it changed forms and split into two. Two identical Shadows, large orbs with a mouth and a large tongue.

“It’s gonna attack,” Mona said, “Get ready, Joker!”

* * *

**_Stop: Who is There? - Persona 4_ **

**_Play: Reach Out To The Truth - first battle - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Joker and Morgana brandished their weapons as the Shadows floated before them.

“This might be a different world from the Metaverse, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still fight. And if our looks stayed the same, then our powers should’ve as well. Joker, try summoning your Persona.”

…

Joker nodded, reaching up and grabbing his mask, ripping it off with a loud call of “Persona!”.

Thankfully, Arsène appeared behind him, unchanged and unfazed.

Morgana nodded, “Perfect. It looks like we can still use our Personas in this world.”

He then narrowed his eyes at the Shadows, “Alright, you know the drill from here! Let’s take ‘em out!”

Joker started by casting a Curse spell on one of the Shadows. A large pool of dark energy appeared underneath the Shadow, rising up and splashing it. The Shadow disintegrated into dust and faded away.

Mona then summoned his own Persona, Zorro, and cast a Wind spell. Green streaks of wind surrounded the Shadow and seemed to do a lot of damage, but wasn’t enough to finish the Shadow off.

The Shadow then advanced towards Mona, attacking him with its large tongue. When it hit him, it retreated.

“Blegh!” Morgana said, “Gross! What’s with these Shadows?!”

“My Persona wasn’t enough to finish it off. I got an idea. You still carry your model gun, right?”

Joker nodded to him with a “Yeah”

“Perfect. Let’s see if it still works. Go ahead.”

…

Joker reached down for his handgun, pulling it out and aiming at the Shadow, his finger resting eagerly on the trigger.

He pulled.

_BANG_

The gun discharged and the Shadow faded into dust, much like the first one.

Mona nodded with excitement, “Perfect! Looks like we have every tool at our disposal for use. Nice work, Joker!”

…

No other Shadows came. The battle was won for Joker and Mona.

* * *

**_Stop: Reach Out To The Truth - first battle - Persona 4_ **

* * *

They put their weapons away, Mona turning towards Joker.

“Looks like you haven’t lost a step. Just what I’d expect for our leader.”

Joker nodded, “What should we do now?”

Mona searched the surrounding area, “I don’t see any more Shadows, and there’s certainly no Palaces nearby, so…”

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the ground, “I’m not entirely sure. We didn’t plan on coming here today, so I’m completely unprepared.”

“We should probably head back then.”

Mona nodded, “That’s a good idea. This is just Inaba, so we should head back to the Inn and see if there’s an exit there.”

Joker nodded, and he and Mona walked off into the streets of this “Inaba”.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker and Mona begin investigating the Midnight Channel and it's secrets

**_Play: Backside of the TV - Persona 4_ **

* * *

He and Mona continued down the streets of the other Inaba, what they had thought was the direction of the Inn.

But they had walked for what felt like forever, and they weren’t making any progress. It was as if the town’s shape and the structures were changing as they moved through the streets and alleys.

Shadows had become a non-issue for them. Knowing all of their arsenals was available to them was valuable knowledge and had made fighting the Shadows in this new world a complete cakewalk.

There was one point in their journey through the distorted town where Shadows had surrounded them in the streets that did give them a bit of a scare, but with their Personas and guns at their hands, it was nothing for them.

Even if they were only two, they _were_ still Phantom Thieves for a reason.

…

As they passed what should have been where the Inn was for the fourth time, Mona huffed in frustration.

“I don’t get it! This is where the Inn should be! Why is it not showing up?!”

Joker looked at the buildings to their side and thought to himself, _“We’ve already passed this area multiple times, but the Inn appears to have moved locations…”_

“Is there a detail we missed on the way here?”

Mona shook his head, “We shouldn’t have. Everything on the path here has been the same apart from this.”

“If the Inn has moved places...do you think some of the other places we’ve been to have?”

“Maybe. Should we go and check?”

“I think it’s at least worth a shot.”

“Alright, well lead the way.”

…

The two of them came across the intersection they had been at earlier, across from where the Junes store had been. 

Only this time, it too was no longer standing where it was supposed to.

“Junes is gone as well…” Joker said quietly.

“We should try the station next.”

They walked down the road for a little and ended up outside of the station. Sure enough, much like the first two landmarks, it had vanished.

“What is going on?” Mona said, crossing his arms to think when they were outside of the station, “The Inn, that Junes store, and now the station? It’s like every major landmark in this town is just vanishing.”

Joker turned back and said, “There’s one more place we haven’t checked yet.”

“Where else have we be-,”

He then remembered, “Oh yeah, the police station! Good thinking, Joker.”

Joker said nothing and just waved Mona along, “If this doesn’t work, then I don’t know where we should go.”

“We have to have faith. There has to be someplace we know that’s still left.”

* * *

**_Stop: Backside of the TV - Persona 4_ **

* * *

They approached the police station, but Mona stopped for a second.

“Hold on…”

Joker looked down at him, “What’s the matter?”  
“I’m...starting to sense something...something strong…”

He turned towards Mona, “Is it an exit?”

He shook his head, “No, it’s not that...it’s a…”

Then, his eyes widened, “C’mon!”

Mona then started running forward, much to Joker’s surprise. He did follow, but not without yelling towards Mona, “Whoa, slow down!”

_“Damn cat…”_

…

After running for about a block, Mona stopped. His eyes were fixated on...something.

Joker caught up and stopped next to him, “Don’t run off like that without me. Now, what is it that-,”

He looked up and saw what Morgana was looking at.

* * *

**_Play: Disquiet - Persona 5_ **

* * *

In place of the police department was a massive building with tall fences and searchlights surrounding it. It looked like a prison, but with much more grandiose and scale.

“A Palace…” Joker quietly said in shock.

Then, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out, and the Metanav was open.

_“New destination received. Saving record…”_

Mona looked up at Joker, “So the Nav _was_ picking up Palaces from the TV world…”

“Yeah, but…”

He looked back up, “This doesn’t look like a castle to me…”

“You’re right. I dunno who the Palace ruler is, but it certainly isn’t Mrs. Amagi. Does the Nav say anything about it?”

Joker checked the details. The only words to describe the location was “prison” and “Inaba P.D.”.

“No, no name. Just “prison” and the police department.”

Mona looked back to the Palace, “Well, we can’t just let this go unnoticed. We need to at least infiltrate the perimeter and scout out a little bit.”

Joker sighed, “So much for finding an exit…”

“We won’t be long. We just need to find out a little bit about what’s going on inside. When we reach a safe room, we can hop right back out and keep searching for a way out.”  
“Right,” Joker responded, sliding his phone back into his pocket and looking back towards the Palace, “Let’s go.”

* * *

**_Stop: Disquiet - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Welcome to the Jail - Persona 5 Scramble_ **

* * *

They were standing on the nearby rooftop from the main checkpoint now, overlooking the entrance and the nearby streets. The checkpoint was being watched by two Shadows. The Shadows took the form of security guards, with riot gear and body armor. They still had the large masks that all Shadows wore over their faces.

“Alright, time to begin our infiltration. Do you see anything on the streets?”

Joker gave the road one last look before saying, “Streets are clear. Only those two Shadows on the checkpoint still.”

“Perfect. I don’t see any other entrances, so I guess we should try the main checkpoint. Let’s go.”

The two of them jumped off of the roof and ran towards the checkpoint.

…

The Shadows saw them slowly approaching and stopped them.

 _“Halt!”_ One of them said in a low, male tone, _“Only authorized personnel are allowed through here. Do you have proper clearance?”_

“We have personal access from the chief himself. Let us in.”

_“The chief’s word has no bearing here. Unless you show proper clearance, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”_

Mona whispered, “We don’t want a confrontation this early. If you can’t convince them to let us through, then we should just find another way.”

“But there isn’t another way…” Joker whispered back.

“Damn it…”

Joker’s hand hovered over where his gun was holstered.

_“If you have no business here, then we advise you to leave.”_

“That won’t be necessary…” Joker said quietly.

He then pulled out his pistol and quickly fired off two shots at the Shadows.

…

The Shadows faded into dust, and Joker holstered his pistol.

“While those shots were impressive,” Mona said while walking up to him, “It’s gonna draw attention to this area. We need to get inside and secure a safe room.”

Joker and Mona ran through the checkpoint and towards the prison’s main building.

“It’d be foolish to go through the main entrance. Find another way in!”

The two of them surveyed the nearby area, Joker eventually finding a window that was partially opened to the right side.

“Over there.”

“I’ll take it. Let’s get inside.”

The two of them moved over to the window, pushing it fully open and hopping inside.

…

They had jumped into some sort of small office, seemingly abandoned with how trashed it was.

“Doesn’t look like the Shadows have noticed us yet. Let’s keep it that way.”

Joker slightly opened the door into the outer hallway, peaking for Shadows.

“We’re clear. Let’s keep moving.”

Joker moved slowly into the hall, Mona directly behind him. The two of them then ran down the hallway, further into the prison.

They finally reached the main holding area. Some Shadows were patrolling the floors outside of the cells, while the cells all remained empty.

Mona pointed out that last fact to Joker, “There are no prisoners, but I’m seeing a ton of guards. Be careful.”

Most of the guards were patrolling the high floors, but Joker still advanced through the cell block with caution. There were three floors in total, including the one they were walking through. It looked as if the cells above were also empty.

They found a staircase close to the cafeteria and decided to check the high floors.

Arriving on the second floor, they were greeted by another set of hallways with a few offices.

…

Joker whispered back to Mona as they continued, “You sensing anything?”

Mona shook his head, “It’s really weird, actually. I’m not sensing a Treasure or anything nearby…”

Joker immediately stopped, looked back at Mona, and said, “Really? Nothing at all?”

“Nope. I’m sensing a safe room nearby, but no Treasure.”

“Is...this even a real Palace?”

“Look around you! Of course this is a real Palace!”

“Although…” Morgana said with disappointment, “If there’s no Treasure, then...what are we even supposed to steal?”

“Let’s find that safe room and work things out from there.”

“Okay. Let me lead the way.”

Mona moved ahead of Joker and led him down the halls, towards the supposed safe room.

Eventually, they found a wavy office door, and they entered the room, no Shadows nearby.

…

“Okay, we need to talk about this situation.”

Mona hopped up onto the table in the middle of the table while Joker sat down in one of the chairs at the table.

“So, what do we know?”

Mona started, “We know we’re in a Palace that’s a prison based on the Inaba police department. There’s a lot of Shadows patrolling the cell blocks, but there’s nobody in the cells. Not that there would be people, but not even cognitive people. Even if we’re in a small town, you’d think there’d be _some_ crime, but that’s not the point. The biggest problem is that...well, I can’t sense a Treasure in this place.”

Mona then sighed, “What’s the point of being a Phantom Thief if there’s no Treasure to steal?”

Joker spoke when he finished, “Could it have something to do with the Palace owner? Maybe they’ve got it hidden.”

“It could be, but I would’ve been able to sense it by now, regardless of what level it’s on in the Palace.”

“Remember Mona, we’re in uncharted territory. This isn’t like any of the other Palaces we’ve encountered, outside of maybe Kamoshida.”

“Kamoshida was different. You may not have known you were entering, but you still used the Metanav just like anywhere else. We only found this Palace because we walked around the fake Inaba.”

“That’s all true...should we try finding the Palace owner?”

Mona shook his head, “We can deal with that another time. We’ve done enough scouting to get a good start. Let’s head out of here and keep looking for an exit in town.”

Joker nodded and stood up, “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

**_Stop: Welcome to the Jail - Persona 5: Strikers_ **

* * *

The two were heading towards the exit, walking across the catwalks in one of the cell blocks.

_“Did you establish contact with the checkpoint guards?”_

Joker was distracted by the voices and stopped so he could snoop. The voices were coming from the ground floor.

He motioned for Mona to listen with him.

* * *

**_Play: Desire - Persona 5_ **

* * *

A group of Shadows was standing in the halls of the cell block around a person, a person in a suit. Joker couldn’t make out any more details, as he could only see the torso and legs.

One of the Shadows responded to the first question, _“We haven’t been able to re-establish contact with the checkpoint guards.”_

_“Well, why not?”_

_“We’re...sorry Warden. We’re trying, but-,”_

The source of the voice stepped forward towards the Shadows, allowing Joker and Mona to see all of their features.

And when they noticed, their eyes both widened.

Joker gasped before saying, “Narukami?!”

…

There he was, standing before all of the Shadows.

The man who had brought him to Inaba, Yu Narukami. He was in a dark suit and had the same dark, yellow eyes that Shadow forms were known for.

Shadow Narukami spoke in a distorted voice, _“I don’t give a damn about your excuses! Find out what happened to the checkpoint guards and find any intruders! If you don’t, then you know what your punishment will be...”_

_“Yes, Warden!”_

With that, the Shadows started dispersing, leaving Shadow Narukami to stand there alone.

…

“So, Narukami’s Shadow is the ruler of this Palace…” Mona whispered.

“But...how?”

“Beats me...let’s just get out of here. We can talk about it later.”

The two of them were moving away from the catwalk, but Joker’s gun had started to slip from where it rested.

It fell from its space.

It hit the metal floor, hard.

The metal made a loud ring.

Shadow Narukami noticed it and them at the same time.

* * *

**_Stop: Desire - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Joker immediately looked down, saw his pistol on the floor, and saw Shadow Narukami staring up at them.

_“This won’t be good…”_

* * *

**_Play: Run, Run, Run! - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Shadow Narukami immediately pulled out a radio and yelled into it, _“It’s the Phantom Thieves! Capture them, now!”_

Mona yelled, “Time to go, Joker!”

Joker agreed, grabbing his pistol from the ground and running away with Mona.

…

They reached another cell block and were about to run towards the stairs, but a Shadow appeared at the stairway in front of them. Another Shadow appeared behind them, blocking them in.

Mona shoved a door to their side open and yelled “This way!”

There was a window on the wall, and Mona jumped out and transformed into his car form. Joker jumped after him, landing to the side before immediately getting into the driver's seat.

The two of them drove off, leaving the Shadows and Shadow Narukami that exited the building. The Shadows that had guns on them started to fire at the two of them, but they were able to evade and continue driving.

They didn’t stop until they got back to the streets of the cognitive Inaba.

…

Back at the prison, Shadow Narukami was smiling to himself.

 _“The Thieves have come for our hearts…”_ he said to himself, _“Things are finally about to get interesting…”_

* * *

**_Stop: Run, Run, Run! - Persona 5_ **

* * *

The two of them stood there, catching their breath as they sat on the curb.

“That was...a fun exit…”

“Yeah…”

…

Joker pulled out his phone, checking the Metanav at the Palace details.

Sure enough, the name “Yu Narukami” had filled itself into the name category.

“I don’t understand…” he started lightly, “Why is Narukami’s Shadow here? And why does it have a Palace?”

“I dunno, but…it looks like we’re gonna have to put Yukiko’s Shadow on hold.”

…

Joker continued to fiddle with the Metanav until he found a new option.

He pressed it, and a prompt appeared.

_“Would you like to exit?”_

“Huh? What’s that?”

“I’m not sure…”

He pressed yes, and a stack of TVs appeared in front of them.

“Huh? What do these do?”

Joker stood from the curve and pressed his hand to one of the screens.

Sure enough, his hand went through the screen.

“I...think we can get out this way.”

He started to climb through the TV.

…

…

…

He fell onto his face on the floor, the nice carpet blanketing his fall.

Ren got up, just as Morgana jumped through and landed on his feet.

The two of them looked around, noticing their new surroundings.

Back in their room, at the Amagi Inn.

…

“Wait, so...we could’ve left using the Metanav that whole time?”

_“You have now returned to the real world. Welcome back.”_

“I guess so…”

Morgana just yawned and stretched, “Well, better late than never. What time is it anyway?”

Ren checked the clock. It read 3:52 A.M.

He had to be at the station by nine the next morning.

“Oh boy…”

It’s gonna be a long day at the station later that morning...


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves set their sights on a new target: detective Yu Narukami, the man that brought them to Inaba

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say that I appreciate all of the comments that I've received so far, even if I don't respond to them very often. It's not that I don't want to interact with all of you, but I'm more afraid that I'll end up accidentally letting out information that would spoil the story. So if I don't respond to your comment, it's not me avoiding socializing with you all. I do genuinely appreciate all of the kind words and feedback.
> 
> Okay, now time to continue.

“Are you feeling okay this morning?”

The question knocked Ren out of his trance as Chie looked at him with concern. The two of them were walking to the station that morning, only a few hours after he and Morgana had returned from the Midnight Channel.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat?”  
“Uhh, I asked if you were okay.”

“Oh, sorry. Yeah, I’m fine. Just…” he rubbed his eyes, “Just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“Try drinking some coffee. We can stop to get you some before we get to the station.”

Ren shook his head, “That’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure.”

“Yeah. Nothing a little work won’t fix, y’know?”

…

The two of them approached Yu, who was typing on his laptop. When they reached his desk, he stood and smiled.

“Good morning you two.”

He then noticed Ren’s expression, one of...mistrust? Actually...no. It was less of an expression and moreso a look in his eyes.

“Is...something the matter?”

Ren just shook his head, “No, why do you ask?”

“I dunno...you don’t look so good. Did you not sleep well?”

“He says he didn’t. I asked him on the way here.”

“Well, I’ll go get you something that might help. You just wait here. Chie, the Chief needs to talk to you.”

He then walked away, while Chie just sighed, gave Ren a quick “See you later” before walking off as well.

…

He took another sip of the tea Yu had brought him.

“You feeling awake?”

Ren placed it down on the desk, “Yeah, definitely. Thanks.”

“No problem. Kombucha is what got me through college and my early days here in the force. You should start drinking it in the mornings before you come here. They should have them at the Inn.”

“I’ll look into it.”

The two of them started their work, searching through files of police documents.

…

It was during a break when he went to the back of the building, taking Morgana’s bag with him.

He placed it on the ground, and Morgana popped out.

“So, any change in his behavior?”

“None at all. He seems the same to me.”

“Then it looks like he and his Shadow don’t share memories. At least, what happens to his Shadow doesn’t correlate to his behaviors.”

“Much like in the Metaverse.”

Morgana nodded, “Exactly. That’s step one of the plan. Now, we need to ask around about any odd behaviors from Narukami. And I think we know a good place to start…”

“Chie.”

“Precisely. You’d better go find her.”

…

Ren found Chie sitting at a bench nearby, watching the nearby fields. She looked like she was lost in thought, her fingers lightly tapping on the armrest.

“Here all by yourself?”

She jumped slightly and turned towards him, “Geez Amamiya. Don’t scare me like that.”

“My apologies. Do you...mind if I join you?”

“Nobody is stopping you.”

He took the seat next to her as the two of them fell into silence. Chie’s eyes remained straight ahead of her, continuing to watch the field below them.

“So,” Ren said and broke the long silence, “Something on your mind?”

“A lot of things.”

“Okay...do you wanna talk about them?”

She sighed, “Not really...it doesn’t concern you, okay?”

“Are you sure? You can trust me, y’know.”  
“No offense kid, but I’ve known you for what, two days? You’re a nice guy and all, but I’m not about to talk about my problems with a kid.”

“Would you tell Narukami?”

“I’ve also known Yu for almost ten years.”

Ren looked at the ground, “Yeah, good point...sorry for budging.”

She shook her head, “It’s fine. I appreciate the concern, nonetheless.”

…

“By the way, I wanna ask. You and Narukami have been acquainted for a long time. What was he like in the past?”

“Uhhh...why do you ask?”

“No reason. Just curious.”

Chie turned away from the field and looked towards Ren, “You wouldn’t just ask a question like that out of the blue. What’s the _real_ reason?”

Ren kept a straight face, “As you said. I’ve only known you both for two days. I feel it’s only right that I make an effort to get to know you two more, especially if I’ll be working with you for the next few weeks.”

“That’s...true. Alright, you win. Narukami is...weird. Not in a bad way or anything. He’s just an unorthodox guy. He’s very close to his family, especially Nanako, and he’s always trying to be the guy for us to come to with our problems.”

“Us?”

“Our group of friends back in high school. Here, lemme show you.”

She pulled out her phone, scrolling through and before showing him the screen. There was a large group of students on the screen, most of the faces he recognized. He knew Narukami, Chie, and Yukiko, as well as all of the faces that he had seen when they were investigating those murders.

Wait a second…

He didn’t get a chance to say anything more before Chie was pulling the screen back and speaking again, “Yu really cared about all of us. He was as good a friend as you could ask for.”

She stopped and looked down, prompting Ren to say, “Was?”

“I...don’t know if he’s comfortable with me telling you this, but…”

Ren prepared himself for what she was about to say.

* * *

**_Play: Confession/Secret - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Chie looked back up, “The guy with the headphones in that photo. You saw him, right?”

Ren nodded.

“His name is Yosuke Hanamura. He’s the manager over at Junes. Well, he and Yu were especially close. He was his first friend when he first moved to Inaba. They hung out all the time, got into fights together, and they were the ones that got Yukiko and I together.”

She smiled, “They were “partners”. That’s what they would call each other. They knew that no matter what happened, they would have each other’s backs.”

Her smile faded and she sighed, “Until…”

Ren looked at her with concern, “Until what?”

…

“Narukami caught feelings...for Yosuke.”

Ren’s eyes widened in surprise, which Chie noticed, “Hey, don’t judge!”

“I-I’m not judging!”

“What, do you have a problem with it? Cuz that’s seriously messed up, kid.”

“I _don’t_ have a problem with it. I was just...surprised, that’s all. Please, continue.”

Chie scowled at him, but she eventually looked away and continued, “Right before Yu went back home, the first time he was here, he decided that he didn’t want to leave anything unsaid. So, a few days before he left, he...confessed.”

“And?”

“Let’s just say that Yosuke...didn’t take it too well.”

“Oh…did he ever tell you what was said?”

“I know everything that happened, because...well, I was there. We all were. What Yosuke said was awful. Just vile and disgusting, it was like he was a whole different person.”

She shook her head, “He told Narukami to stay away from him. Far away from him. He said he “never wanted to see his disgusting face ever again.””

“That’s horrible...who would say such a thing to their friend like that?”

“I dunno. Nobody knows why he ever said that.”

…

“So, what happened when he moved back here?”

Chie leaned back, “Before then, we all tore into Yosuke pretty badly when it was over with and we got him to apologize. They kinda reconciled, in a way. But...they were never the same. Yu was never the same.”

“To this day, I still don’t think he’s over it.”

“Did his behavior change?”

“At first, not really. But once time passed and our friend group started to grow apart, he definitely changed. He started coming over to the Inn all the time, went and walked with Nanako to and from school every day, started working insane hours at the department. It was bizarre. Nice to see him and all, but...so unlike him.”

Chie continued, “What Yosuke said to him that day still hurts him, and honestly...I don’t think he’ll ever get over it. He shared more in that one confession than he had ever shared before, and…”

“Yosuke took it and spat in his face.”

“Basically.”

…

“Well, we’d better get back to the station. Oh, and...don’t tell Narukami I said all of that, alright?”

Ren nodded, “I won’t. Promise.”

“Thanks, Ren.”

She started to walk away, but turned back and said, “Oh, and Ren. If you’re ever feeling up to it, come by mine and Yukiko’s hall of the Inn sometime. She’d love to have you over one night if you want to.”

He smiled, “I’d be happy to. Just let me know.”

“Great!”

…

“Did you get all that, Morgana?”

“Yeah, I did. Gotta say, not what I expected.”

“You can say that a lot in this town.”  
“I...feel bad for the guy. He does so much for everyone in this town, but it seems like nobody’s ever given him that same respect.”

“I agree. Do you think this has something to do with his Shadow and Palace?”

“It might. We can go over it all later. For now, let’s get back to the station.”

…

Ren walked up to Yu, who was standing outside waiting for him.

“Did you take a walk across the country? Where have you been?” He joked to Ren.

“Sorry, I was... discussing with someone.”

“Oh, you...didn’t need to apologize. I was only joking.”

He sighed, “Still gotta work on my sense of humor…”

Ren looked at him confused, which made Yu laugh.

“Anyways, ready to finish up? There’s not much left to do, y’know.”

“Yeah. Let’s get it done.”

Before they got to the elevator, Ren whispered quickly.

“I’m sorry.”

Yu heard it, and turned back to him, “Huh? Did you say something?”

Ren shook his head, “I didn’t.”

“Huh...guess I’m just hearing things.”

The two entered the elevator, the doors shut, and they ascended.

* * *

**_Stop: Confession/Secret - Persona 5_ **

* * *

“You did a good job today. It wasn’t easy having to dig dirt on Narukami, but I think what we got was pretty good.”

Ren smiled before sitting on the small sofa in front of the TV, “So, what’s our next move? Should we infiltrate the Palace again?”

“I’m not sure, exactly. The Palace was small, so I don’t think there’s anything else we can find. I couldn’t sense a Treasure in that place, so it makes me think there’s not even one to steal.”

“So then...what do we do? We can’t just let that Shadow roam around unchecked.”

“Now hold on. We’re not gonna let the Shadow “roam around”. I’ve got a plan.”

Ren sat there expectantly

…

Morgana began, “After what I heard from Chie about Narukami, I started connecting the dots. Remember the Palace? There wasn’t a single prisoner in the cells, no matter how far we went. His Shadow is the Warden of that prison, and I’ve heard that some prison wardens reside on the same premises of the prison they watch over. So, if you think about it…”

“The only person that resides in that prison...is him.”

“Hehe, _now_ you get it. He holds control over the Shadows in there like an iron grip, just like how he’s holding on dearly to whatever connections he has.”

Ren nodded to all of that, “His Shadow must be reflecting his loneliness…”

Ren then looked back at Morgana, “But what about all that stuff with Yosuke? Where does that come in?”

“That...I’m not sure. There wasn’t anything I could think of at the time.”

Ren sighed. Even when they made progress, they were always just a bit short.

…

“So, you have a plan. What is that?”

“If there’s a Treasure in that Palace, of any kind, then there’s only one way we can get it to appear. Think back, what have we always done to make the Treasure materialize?”

“We sent the ruler in this world a calling card…you want to send one to Narukami?”

Morgana nodded, “It’s our only chance if we want the Treasure to appear.”

“Hmm…”

Ren thought it over for a long while.

“If we send a calling card to Narukami, his Palace will surely go on high alert. Plus, we’ll be running in blind without knowing where the Treasure is. What do we do once we get to the Palace?”

“We’ll find the Warden’s Office. If the Shadow will be anywhere at the time, it’s gotta be there.”

“Okay, but how will we give it to him? It’d be way too obvious to try and slip it to him at the station.”

Morgana grinned, and then said, “You don’t need to worry about that. We’ve got another tool we can use…”

“What tool?”

Morgana looked to the TV, Ren following his eyes.

“It comes on every rainy night. The weather report says rain for the next few days.”

Morgana then looked up at Ren, “You following now?”

Ren smiled.

* * *

**_Two days later…_ **

* * *

“Is there a reason you’re keeping me over so late?” Chie asked as Yu was fiddling with some old medicine in his counter.

“I want to check the channel again tonight. I haven’t been seeing anything on it lately, and I’m getting worried.”

“You better not be thinking about going in again. There’s no way we’d last that long without our Personas.”

“Relax, I’m not going in. No matter what happens.”

Chie was skeptical, but just said “Okay.”

…

After a few minutes of them waiting, the clock struck midnight.

The TV came on by itself.

“There we go…” Yu said, eagerly leaning forward, “Come on, show me something.”

Chie didn’t say anything, just watching the TV intently.

Eventually, the static cleared.

A figure clad in a long, black coat was on the screen, standing in the center of a “stage” area.

“Who...is that?”

Then, the figure started speaking.

* * *

**_Play: Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There - instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

The voice was distorted, but the words were clear.

_“Yu Narukami.”_

Both him and Chie were stunned.

“Wait, does that thing know your name?! What the hell?”

“I…”

_“What the hell is this?”_

…

The voice continued.

_“The other self that lives within you has fallen to the pain that lies deep within your heart.”_

_“The pain and grief have cast a shadow over your very soul, leading you on a path of sorrow.”_

_“We cannot and will not allow your inner self to create such strife for you and the people you love. We have seen first-hand the results of this distortion.”_

_“Therefore, we, the Phantom Thieves, will rob your heart of every bit of distortion and agony.”_

_“Tonight, we will take your heart back from your inner demons.”_

…

The figure then reached up and tossed something at the screen.

A card flew through his TV, hitting Yu right in the chest. He picked it up and immediately looked it over.

It was a calling card.

Signed by the Phantom Thieves.

…

Before their initial stunned reactions could subside, the figure said one more thing.

_“Come find us...and we will return what is rightfully yours to you. Your heart knows the path...”_

And with that, the screen went back to static and eventually shut off.

…

…

…

Yu and Chie couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

“The Phantom Thieves...they really came…” was the first thing that he let out.

“Yeah, but...why are they targeting you?!”

“I don’t know, but…”

He shook his head, immediately getting up to grab his glasses and his gun.

“Whoa whoa, you’re not seriously thinking of going, are you?”

“What else am I gonna do? They said for me to go, so I’m going.”

“But what about-?”

“Chie, I’m not arguing about this. Now stay here, I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Yu put his glasses on, tucked his gun away, and immediately climbed into the TV, leaving Chie to helplessly sit there.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the calling card sent, the Phantom Thieves move to change the heart of Yu Narukami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a little extra time with this one. Wanted it to be just right...
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

**_Play: Life Will Change - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Joker walked over to Mona, who was grinning like a fool.

“Nice work, as per usual.”

“You think that’ll get his Shadow’s attention?”

“It should. If Narukami saw it, the effect should definitely trickle down to his Shadow. Now, time to execute our plan.”

He pumped his arm up and said, “To the Palace!”

They ran out of the studio area and headed towards the Palace.

…

Shadows had returned to the main checkpoint, in larger numbers. Where there was once two had become four Shadows.

“Security is tighter than last time. That calling card must have affected his Shadow.”

“How are we getting inside now?”

“Don’t you remember? The safe room. Use the Nav, it should take us straight there.”

Joker pulled out his phone and went to the Metanav. He pulled up the map of the Palace, selecting the safe room they had encountered.

The area warped for a minute but settled when they were inside the safe room.

“No need to deal with those Shadows. Now let’s go, the Warden’s Office is waiting for us.”

Joker peeked outside the door, checked the hallway, and the two of them ran into the hall when the coast was clear.

…

Two Shadows were guarding the door to the Warden’s Office. They hadn’t seen Narukami’s Shadow go inside or come out, but they could only assume that he was there.

“Damn, two guards? They’re not gonna make it easy for us, huh?”

“We need to draw them away.”

“You got a plan?”

Joker nodded, “I’ll get their attention and draw them away from here. Once they’re cleared, you run in and secure the entrance.”  
“You sure you can take them on your own?”

He grinned, standing up and running out into the hall. He called out to the Shadows.

“Hey! You looking for me? Well come and get me!”

The Shadows looked at him, one yelling, _“It’s one of the Phantom Thieves! Get him!”_

They then immediately ran from the office doors and chased after Joker. As soon as they passed, Mona hopped out and ran towards the doors.

“Good luck, Joker.”

…

Joker lured the guards as far from the Warden’s Office as he could, ending up near the safe room they had entered from.

He stopped on the catwalk of one of the cell blocks, the two Shadows turning the corner.

_“Stop! You have nowhere to run!”_

Joker just smiled, hopping over the railing, but grabbing onto a support beam of the catwalk.

The Shadows ran to where he had jumped, looking over the railing towards the ground below.

_“Where is he? Where did he go?”_

_“He must be on the lower level. Go! We must find him and bring him to the Warden!”_

The Shadows ran off. When they were far enough away, Joker vaulted back up onto the catwalk.

He then ran back to the Warden’s Office, meeting Mona outside of the doors.

“Did you lose ‘em?”

Joker nodded, “We won’t be worrying about them any longer.”

“Good. Shall we?”

He nodded, and the two of them opened the doors to the Warden’s Office and entered.

* * *

**_Stop: Life Will Change - Instrumental - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Desire - Persona 5_ **

* * *

“What...is this…?”

He stood on the road, overlooking the massive structure that towered over him.

A prison had replaced what was once his workplace, the Inaba police department. Searchlights were scanning the fields and roads around him, as if they were on high alert.

“Is this another dungeon? But...who’s dungeon is it?”

Yu racked his brain, “The Midnight Channel never showed anybody that was in danger. No one’s Shadows ever appeared, other than…”

It was then that he realized.

“Is this…”

_“Warden!”_

…

He saw a Shadow in the form of a security guard approaching, and Yu was prepared to pull out his gun.

_“Warden, what are you doing on the streets?! It’s not safe for you!”_

“Warden…? Is…”

 _“Is that what I am to these Shadows…?”_ He thought to himself.

The Shadow spoke to him again, _“Please Warden, return to your office. It’ll be safe for you in there.”_

“Safe from who…?”

_“It’s the Phantom Thieves, Warden. They’re here.”_

“The Phantom Thieves…so that calling card was for real…”

…

_“Guess I should play along…”_

Yu looked up at the Shadow, “Alright, I’ll return to my office. Get the checkpoints secure and make sure all exits are locked down. I don’t want those Thieves escaping.”

_“Yes, Warden!”_

He walked past the Shadow and towards the prison entrance. Shadows that were guarding the entrance moved out of his way, avoiding his eyes.

When he entered, he noticed the main cell blocks. The cells were all...empty.

_“No prisoners...and I’m the Warden. A Warden without prisoners...just like-”_

He didn’t finish that thought.

A Shadow walked up to him, _“Allow me to escort you to your office, Warden.”_

Yu shook his head, “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be fine on my own.”

_“Yes, Warden.”_

…

…

…

The Warden’s Office had an eerie vibe to it. It was dark and dreary, with only a desk in the center in front of the closed window on the back wall.

More importantly, the Shadow of Narukami wasn’t there.

This caused Mona to say in anger, “Damn it! He’s not here.”

Joker was examining one of the walls. There was a board with several pictures of people on it, all connected by twine through thumbtacks.

Most of the faces he recognized. Chie and Yukiko were still there, and the twine between them and the center was still connected. There was also the police chief, Dojima, and Nanako. Those were the only ones still connected to the center of the board, where a picture of Yu Narukami sat.

The rest, all of their lines had been cut. They were faces that he had recognized from their research on the murders. Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane. There were knife marks on the board near where the line was supposed to be.

His eyes then hovered over to the last person on the board, and…

The picture was of the man Chie had told him about a few days prior, Yosuke Hanamura. The former best friend of Narukami that had brutally rejected him.

Yosuke’s picture was different. The line hadn’t just been cut, but the picture was too. 

And not just cut, there was a knife lodged deep into the board.

“Whoa…” Mona said, walking over to where Joker was looking.

“It’s the people he’s connected to,” Joker said, pulling the knife out of Yosuke’s picture and placing it down on a nearby table, “the circle is getting smaller and smaller.”

Mona’s eyes moved over to the side before he said, “Hey Joker. Look here.”

Joker looked over and saw it.

There was another set of pictures, listed under a group called “Potentials”.

His picture was up there, as well as a picture of the Phantom Thieves logo.

“Looks like he wanted to add us to his board.”

…

He didn’t know how they didn’t hear them enter, but they did hear the gun click from behind them.

“Don’t move.” They heard in a familiar and uncorrupted voice.

“Shoot…” Mona said quietly.

The two of them turned back and saw him.

It was Yu, the _real_ Yu. He had made his way all the way here, and now had his gun aimed straight at Joker’s chest.

 _“No getting out of this one…”_ Joker thought to himself.

…

Yu glared at Joker and started talking, “You came to my town, and the first person you target is me? Why?”

“We told you with the calling card.”

“Yeah, that you were going to “rob my heart”? What about _my_ heart do you need to steal?”

“You already know…”

“I _don’t_ know! I don’t know anything about you or what you’re doing!”

He looked down at the ground, “The Midnight Channel reappears, the Shadows here call me “Warden” and let me pass by. Tell me, is it you that caused this prison to appear?”

Mona yelled, “Hell no we didn’t cause this! This is all _your_ doing, Narukami! This is what’s inside _your_ heart!”

“...”

Yu shook his head, “I...don’t know what you’re talking about.”

_“It is true.”_

* * *

**_Stop: Desire - Persona 5_ **

**_Play: Borderline of Madness - Persona 4_ **

* * *

The Shadow had arrived. The real Yu turned back, and the color drained from his face.

“Y-you…”

_“Surprised? You should be.”_

Joker immediately stepped into action, “Narukami, get back!”

Yu somewhat listened, stammering to himself, “You’re...not supposed to exist...I already accepted it…”

_“Times have changed since then. You should know that more than anyone…”_

Shadow Narukami started to walk forward, _“That board on the wall...so many lost connections. So many people walking away. All those people that walked away from you…”_

“That’s…”

_“You thought that you would come back to town for so long and everyone would still be here, still stuck to your hip.”_

Narukami shook his head, as his Shadow continued to taunt him.

_“And what about that guy Yosuke. Whatever happened to him, huh?”_

Just then, a voice started to ring through the room.

_“What is wrong with you?” ”Are you kidding me?" ”Don’t, just stop. Don’t talk to me.” ”I never want to see you again!”_

“Is this...what Yosuke told you that day?” Joker asked Yu, who was clutching his head with his eyes shut.

He didn’t answer.

…

_“He pushed you away, just like the others did. Everyone else is going to as well…”_

“No…”

_“Just admit it. The longer you’re here, the town is going to forget about you. They’ll all walk out of your life and you’ll never gain them back…”_

“Stop it…”

_“They’ll throw you out in a second, and everyone is going to forget who you are. You’ll lose everything.”_

“Shut up…”

…

Yu continued to walk back, his Shadow stopping but continuing to taunt him.

Shadow Narukami, _“That’s right. Keep denying it! Say it! You know you want to!”_

“You’re...you’re not…”

Mona looked at Joker, “Be on guard.”

_“Say it! Say it now!”_

Yu shook his head violently, resisting the urge.

Joker and Mona prepared themselves, as Yu was about to break.

He finally cracked, pointing his gun at his Shadow, “YOU’RE NOT ME!”

_BANG_

The bullet collided with the Shadow’s head, piercing straight through and lodging itself in the door behind him.

…

And yet, his Shadow laughed.

His laugh grew louder and louder, as the bullet hole refilled itself in his head.

“Wha-,” Yu said, looking back at his gun.

 _“I’m free…”_ the Shadow said, _“We’re finally free…”_

Mona shouted out, “This isn’t good. Get back!”

The two backed up a bit more as a large pool of dark energy formed at the Shadow’s feet, swirling around it and forming a figure behind the Shadow. A large floating figure clad in a dark cloak and a white mask appeared, wielding a long sword.

“What is THAT?” Mona said in shock.

Yu looked on in silence, his eyes widening, “Izanagi…”

“It’s another Persona…” Joker answered Mona, “Just like with Mrs. Amagi’s Shadow…”

Mona looked stunned, but Joker just pulled out his knife and said, “Get ready, Mona.”

“Right! Narukami, stay behind us. Let’s do this, Joker!”

* * *

**_Stop: Borderline of Madness - Persona 4_ **

**_Play: I’ll Face Myself - Battle - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Joker and Mona were standing at the ready, as Shadow Narukami stood tall in front of them.

_“I am a Shadow...the true self. And with this power at my hands, no-one will stand in my way.”_

He then threw his arm to his side, _“And I’ll use this power...to crush the Phantom Thieves under my boot!”_

Mona spoke to Joker, “We don’t know what this Persona is capable of, but we can’t let it get away. Watch its movements and try to find the weakness. Be careful, Joker!”

…

Joker reached for his mask, ripping it off and calling out “Come!” as Arsène appeared behind him. He tried his usual Curse attack on the Shadow, the pool of energy enveloping the Shadow and washing upwards into the ceiling.

When the attack subsided, the Shadow remained unaffected.

Joker gasped, as the Shadow grinned at him.

“Damn it...Curse skills aren’t gonna work on this one. If you have another Persona, swap out and try something else!”

Mona then summoned Zorro, attacking Narukami’s Shadow with a flurry of wind. Wind surrounded the Shadow’s figure, swirling around it for a few seconds.

The wind ceded, and the Shadow fell onto his back.  
Mona jumped in excitement, “He’s down! Impressive, huh?”

…

The two of them immediately ran up to the Shadow, pointing their guns at it on the ground.

_“Damn it…”_

“What’s wrong? Lost your edge already?”

_“I will not be undermined by a thief and his cat…!”_

“Wha- I am NOT a cat! Oh, you’re gonna regret sayin’ that!”

The two of them jumped back from the Shadow. They jumped up, both dashing at the Shadow, slashing and striking it over and over again.

When they were done, they returned to their original line, the Shadow having stood back up.

…

_“Your powers are impressive, I’ll give you that...but it’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you…”_

He put his hand out, _“Come!”_

A card appeared above his hand, and when he closed it, the card shattered.

The Persona from before reappeared behind Shadow Narukami.

_“Izanagi!”_

The Persona swung its large sword in the direction of Joker, as he was suddenly hit by a large Physical strike, dealing heavy damage to Joker.

Joker responded with his own Physical attack, summoning Arsène once more and attacking the Shadow again. A massive slash slid across the ground before striking the Shadow, dealing a good amount of damage.

Mona used his Wind attack on the Shadow again. The attack did a lot of damage to the Shadow but wasn’t able to down the Shadow.

…

Shadow Narukami summoned Izanagi again but came with a different attack. Large bolts of lightning came down on top of them, striking the Thieves multiple times. The attack knocked Mona down and electrified Joker, brandishing him immovable.

The Shadow then advanced on Joker, taking out a sword and slashing Joker, knocking him down with Mona.

“Damn it…”

_“Way too easy…”_

He summoned Izanagi again.

_“Destroy them…”_

A series of slashes appeared in the air, dispersing and hitting the two of them.

…

“Joker, your health is low. Hold out for a sec and I’ll heal us.”

Joker nodded, opting to defend himself. He used a Physical Ointment on himself, defending him from any oncoming Physical strikes.

Mona got back up and summoned Zorro again. He used his Persona to heal both him and Joker, bringing them back to full strength.

…

 _“I’ve had enough of you two…”_ Narukami’s Shadow said, _“I’m finishing this, here and now.”_

 _“PERSONA!”_ He yelled, Izanagi reappearing.

A large spear fell in front of Mona, just as lightning struck it as well. After a few seconds of waiting and the attack subsided.

Mona managed to dodge the attack, much to the dismay of Shadow Narukami.

“How’d you like that, huh?” Mona said as he taunted the Shadow.

_“But...how?”_

“Don’t underestimate our skills. Come on, Joker! Finish this!”

…

Joker summoned Arsène again, yelling “Ravage them!” as a massive Almighty explosion enveloped the Shadow. It did severe damage, and Shadow Narukami was almost done.

_“Nngh...no…”_

“You’re done for!” Mona said, as he ran up, slashed the Shadow twice with his sword before jumping back and shooting it once.

The Shadow was persistent, holding his side while on his knees.

“Alright! Passing to you, Joker! Now finish it for good!”

Mona jumped up and the two clapped hands, Joker immediately going up and summoning Arsène one final time.

He used the same Physical attack as before, the slashes hitting the Shadow once again.

That was the final blow, as Shadow Narukami collapsed to the ground defeated with a loud _“NO!”_.

It was a victory for the Phantom Thieves.

* * *

**_Stop: I’ll Face Myself - Battle - Persona 4_ **

* * *

The Shadow had started to raise itself back to its feet, but it could only get to its knees.

_“Why…”_

“Stay down, if you know what’s good for you,” Joker said coldly.

The real Narukami had been hiding off to the side, away from the fighting. He walked up behind Joker, standing there silently.

_“I finally had it...I had the card, the power, and yet…”_

The Shadow shook its head, _“No, I’m not done...I can still…”_

…

It tried to stand, but Joker pulled his gun out and pointed it at the Shadow.

Shadow Narukami went back to the ground in fear.

Yu walked up next to Joker, saying, “Don’t shoot him...I know what to do…”

Joker looked back and nodded, but still kept his gun handy.

* * *

**_Play: I’ll Face Myself - Post Battle Ver. - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Yu walked towards his Shadow, standing only a foot or so away from him.

_“You gonna let him finish me off? Well, go ahead…”_

“No, I’m not…”

Yu sighed but started speaking, “When Yosuke rejected me all those years ago, I...tried to hide it. I tried to hide the fact that I was afraid. If he was willing to leave me, then...what would stop anyone else from doing the same? I think that’s what caused you to appear, and...I’m sorry.”

_“Huh?”_

Yu then crouched down to meet his Shadow’s eyes.

“I’m sorry that I rejected you. I should’ve known better. You’re a part of me. You always were, and you always will be.”

The real Narukami put his hand out to his Shadow, “Now come back...to where you belong. I’m not- no. _We’re_ not gonna run and hide from this any longer. We’re gonna fix this and reconnect with everyone we’ve lost.”

He smiled, “We’re gonna do it, _together_.”

His Shadow self smiled, reaching out and grabbing his hand.

…

Right as that happened, the Shadow glowed in a blue haze, disappearing and reappearing as a card.

The card then soared into the air, manifesting back into the Persona Joker and Mona had just faced, Izanagi.

...

His voice rang out through the room, saying:

_“I am thou, thou art I…”_

_“Thine eyes have been reopened, and I shall return to your side…”_

…

Izanagi reformed into the card, which then fell into Yu’s hand.

Yu took a deep breath, put his hand to his chest, and shut his eyes as his head lowered.

“I see...I get it now.”

Joker looked over at Mona, who continued, “That Persona belonged to Narukami before. But when a Persona user loses sight of their true self, it manifests into the Shadow and leaves the user. To get it back, the user has to accept their true self once again. It’s no wonder there was no Treasure, the Shadow-selves _are_ the Treasure.”

“Ahh...I understand.”

 _“This must’ve been what happened to Yukiko then…”_ He thought to himself.

...

Narukami re-opened his eyes, looked back at Joker, and said, “I...should thank you, y’know. You really did change my heart, Amamiya…”

Mona looked surprised, but Joker just smiled, “You figured it out?”

Yu smiled back, “Yeah. I saw it when you removed that mask. Gotta say, I...wasn’t expecting that application to reach the Phantom Thieves…”

“While this moment is nice and all, we should get out of here. The Shadows are gonna be here soon.”

“You’re right...whatever you are.”

…

…

…

Yu landed on the carpet, his glasses barely avoiding being crushed.

When he looked back up, he noticed she was still there.

Chie immediately shot up and yelled, “Holy crap, are you okay?! What happened in there?!”

Yu stood up, brushing himself off, “I’m fine…”

He looked at the coffee table in front of him and saw the calling card again.

He smiled, “Looks like they were right…”

Chie was confused, “What are you talking about? Wait, did the Phantom Thieves really change your heart? Is that stuff all for real?”

Yu just laughed, “I...guess so…”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their latest operation a success, Ren and Morgana welcome a new ally to their mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait. I wasn't feeling a-hundred-percent the last few days and took some time to recharge. I did however do some editing, so there's that.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.

Her stroll down the halls of the Inn was interrupted by the opening of a door.

“Oh, there you are.”

She turned to see Ren in casual wear, standing in the doorway of his hotel room.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Sorry, it’s just...Yukiko was worried about you. You were gone for a long time, you know.”

She sighed, “Yeah, I know. Sorry to worry you. Did you tell her where I was?”

He shook his head, “You asked me no to, so I didn’t.”

Chie smiled, “Thanks, Ren. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

He nodded and shut his door, as Chie continued her walk down the hall.

…

She shut the front door behind her quietly before pressing her head against it lightly and sighing.

“Damn you, Narukami...and damn you especially, Phantom Thieves…”

As she slid her shoes off and walked towards her bedroom, she continued to mutter under her breath.

“Can’t even complete my one request, but they go after Narukami for no reason. So dumb. Why’d I even bother? This is what I get for trusting a group of strangers.”

She had reached her bedroom by the time she stopped her quiet ranting, opening the door as slow and as quiet as she could. She slowly walked over to the bed and plopped down next to the lump that was already there.

Just when she thought that she had gotten away with a clean entrance, the other figure turned to face her.

_“Shoot…”_

…

“You’re late…”

“I know...I’m sorry…”

“Ren and I were worried about you. Was everything okay?”

Chie wanted to tell her about it. The Midnight Channel, the calling card, Yu going inside the TV, the Phantom Thieves changing his heart (although she still didn’t know if that was true yet)...

But she couldn’t. Not yet.

 _“It’s better if she doesn’t_ know…” Was her justification.

So, Chie lied to her, “Everything’s fine. Narukami just called me to talk about a case and it ended up lasting for hours and hours and…”

She sighed again, “I’m really sorry, okay?”

Yukiko didn’t look convinced, and she knew it.

Her lying was only going to get her so far.

And Chie was reaching the end of her rope.

…

But then, Yukiko smiled.

“That was it?”

“Huh?”

Yukiko sat up, now upright, “You could have just told Ren if that was all. You know, we were both worried.”

“Oh...yeah, I probably should have told him.”

Another lie. She just kept piling them on.

Chie sat up with her, “Wait, so…you’re not mad at me?”

Yukiko shook her head, “Should I be?”

Chie was really confused at her reaction, but also somewhat relieved.

The façade was still working, at least for now.

“No, I guess not…”

…

“I am still sorry for worrying you, though. I should have said something about it.”

Yukiko just smiled, “Well...you can still make up for it…”

Chie feigned ignorance, “How so?”

She moved closer to Chie, “You know…”

“Do I know?”

Yukiko’s eyes narrowed, “Stop being dense and come here.”

She wrapped her arms around Chie and pulled her close and back down into the bed.

It wasn’t the reaction Chie expected from her, but she couldn’t complain.

…

The two were now snug together in bed, Che’s head resting lightly on Yukiko’s shoulder, her arm draped over her stomach. The silence had taken over the room.

It was Yukiko that broke it, “You know...I’m here when you need me.”

“I know…”

“I just don’t want you to go through all of this stuff alone.”

“Yuki…”

Chie crawled up to meet her eyes, as Yukiko continued, “I don’t want what happened back then to happen again…”

She knew what she was talking about. The Channel, the castle, the Shadow...

Chie leaned up and kissed her cheek lightly.

“That’s not gonna happen. I won’t let it happen. Not again.”

After that, she returned to her original position.

...

_“I don’t care what happens. I won’t let them take her again.”_

_“She’s my Yukiko, MY princess. I’ll be the one to keep her safe.”_

_“Nobody else can. It has to be me…”_

* * *

**_The next day..._ **

* * *

His phone rang that morning once again.

It was Ann this time.

He answered, “Hey Ann. How’s it going?”

His answering got the attention of Morgana, who popped out and leaned towards Ren’s ear.

_“There you are! Where have you been? You haven’t said anything to us since Ryuji last called!”_

“I’m sorry, things have just gotten busy and I’ve been losing track. I’ll call you guys more often now, I promise.”

_“You’d better. We were all worried sick, y’know!”_

Once she had stopped her ranting, she took a deep breath and continued in a normal tone.

_“So, is everything okay? Haven’t had any problems?”_

“No, we’ve been handling everything fine. Morgana and I have been good so far.”

_“That’s good to hear.”_

“What about you guys? Anything happening out there that I need to know about?”

_“Not really. Makoto is trying to keep us all focused in case we need to head into Mementos. Nothing’s really happened since you left. Although…”_

“Although?”

_“There are some rumors on the Phan Site that say they saw the Phantom Thieves out there in Inaba. Did you already change the heart of Amagi-san?”_

“Wait, how is that possible? Narukami was the only one that saw that calling card.” Morgana said from his shoulder.

“Looks like the word travels fast...and no, it wasn’t Amagi-san. It was...someone else.”

_“I see...anyway, just be careful what you’re doing out there. I don’t want some crazy lunatic online to get any ideas.”_

“We’re being careful. Don’t worry.”

_“Good. Oh! There’s one last thing. Ryuji said you said Amagi-san was married, right?”_

“Yeah. That’s true.”

_“Is it true that she’s...married to another woman?”_

“Yep, it’s true. Why do you ask?”

_“Oh, uhh...n-no reason! I was just...curious, that’s all!”_

Ren grinned, “Did you finally propose?”

He could sense her embarrassment through the phone, _“Wha- hey! I’ve only been with Shiho a few months! What makes you think I’d do that so soon?!”_

“”So soon”? So you DO plan on doing it.”

Ann sighed, _“I hate you so much…”_

Ren laughed loudly, hearing as Ann probably sat on the other end flustered.

“Alright, this was fun. I’ve gotta go now, but you guys take care of each other, okay?”

_“We will. You and Mona do the same. We’ll talk to you soon, Ren.”_

“You too, Ann.”

Ren hung up, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He felt Morgana still on his shoulder.

“Did you just _have_ to bring that proposal thing up?”

Ren only laughed.

…

…

…

He was met at the front entrance by Narukami, who was looking over his phone.

“Good morning,” Ren said as he approached. Narukami looked up but didn’t put his phone away.

“I need to talk to you. In private.”

Given what had happened the night prior, Ren should have seen this coming. He knew Yu had figured it out in the Palace, but he didn’t expect this conversation to happen _this_ early in the morning.

However, he kept his composure, only saying “Sure” as the two of them walked towards the back of the station.

…

There was a set of tables where workers could relax, and the two of them were sitting across from one another. Ren had put the Morgana bag on the seat next to him, while Yu was still looking through his phone.

The silence between them was deafening.

_“Is he...gonna say something?”_

Yu then put his phone down and slid it over towards Ren.

It was a picture of Shibuya, where all of the screens had been taken over and displayed the logo of the Phantom Thieves.

He remembered this moment.

Shido’s calling card. The “Futaba Cannon”, as she had called it.

“Why...are you showing me this?” Ren asked Yu.

“Because you let me down with your last one.”

“Huh?”

* * *

**_Play: Sunset Bridge - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Yu smiled and picked up his phone from the table, “You really went from that whole spectacle to just throwing me the card through the TV? I was a little disappointed.”

“Were you expecting more?”

“Come on. You know.”

The two of them chuckled for a little bit, Ren stopping to say, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

…

Yu looked down at the ground, “I…just wanted to say...thanks.”

Ren was confused, “Thanks for what?”

“For changing my heart. Everything that you said, everything that my Shadow said, it was all right. I did let my inner self fall to my pain. I did let Yosuke’s rejection hang over me. And...I was afraid that I would eventually be forgotten by this town.”

He continued, “When I returned to Inaba after college, I thought that things would be just as I had left it. But when I got here and my friends were gone or had moved on, I felt...alone. I couldn’t go back to Yosuke, and Chie and Yukiko had their marriage and the Inn to deal with, and well...I didn’t have anybody. I clung to whatever connections I could get my hands on and I wouldn’t let go, because...I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to lose them like I lost Kanji, or Rise, or Naoto, or even Yosuke.”

Yu looked back up at Ren, “But you, you helped me pull the cloth from my eyes. You helped me realize just how alone I really was, and...you gave me the strength to accept it again. You were the one that made me open back up to the world.”

His eyes narrowed, “I’m not going back to what I was before. I’m going to get back all the people I lost and protect this town. It’s what I swore to do, and I’ll keep doing it until the day I die.”

He then put his hand out in front for a handshake, “So thank you, Mr. Phantom Thief.”

Ren smiled, taking Yu’s hand and shaking it firmly.

“I’m glad you’ve found your true self again.” Was all he said.

…

“By the way,” Yu added when they finished shaking hands, “Your power was incredible. I’ve never seen a Persona with that type of power before.”

“So you know about Personas?”  
Yu nodded, “All of us have them, or... _did_ have them. Me, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, all of us. That’s how we were able to solve those murder cases.”

Morgana added from the bag, “So there are other Persona users in the world.”

Yu looked around confused, “Uhh...who said that?”

“Oh, uhh...I guess I should explain all of that.”

…

…

…

The Morgana bag had been moved to the table, and Morgana was sitting on the table.

“So...because I heard him talk in the TV world, I can...hear him talk now?”

“That’s the gist of it.”

Yu examined Morgana intently, “Does it...talk a lot?”

“Sometimes a little too much…”

Morgana glared at Ren, “I’ll make you regret that!”

Yu laughed, “So...Morgana, right? Are you a Phantom Thief as well?”

“I taught this guy everything he knows about being a Phantom Thief.”

“I see…”

He looked down, thinking to himself for a minute.

“Narukami?”

…

“I’d like to propose something. A partnership, of sorts.”

Ren and Morgana looked at one another for a sec, Ren then looking back and saying, “Go on.”

“You mentioned Yukiko when we were in that prison. I checked your “Phan Site” earlier today, and...I found a request for a change of heart for Yukiko.”

Ren nodded, “That’s right. It was sent in by Chie, but...we don’t know why.”

“Hmm…”

Yu thought for a second again, but then said, “Let me help.”

“Huh?” The two others said simultaneously.

“Your request for Yukiko. Let me help you.”

“Are...you sure?”

Yu narrowed his eyes at Ren, “Yukiko is my friend. If something like what happened to me also happened to her, then you’re gonna want another set of hands. Besides, you two may be able to fight on your own, but having a third Persona user can only be an advantage.”

He put his hand to his chest, “And now that I have Izanagi back, I want to help save other people from the same thing that happened to me.”

…

Morgana looked at Ren, “You’re our leader, so it’s your call.”

Ren looked at the ground.

_“He is right. We did have a bit of trouble with his own Shadow, and his Persona has a lot of potential…”_

_“It...can’t hurt to have extra manpower…”_

“Well,” Yu interrupted his thoughts, “What do you say?”

Ren looked back up at Yu, “Let’s do it.”

Yu smiled, “That’s what I like to hear.”

The two nodded to each other, as Morgana also chimed in, “Well Narukami, congratulations. You’re now an honorary Phantom Thief.”

“I hope that I’ll live up to your expectations.”

…

“We can get started tomorrow on finding Yukiko’s “Palace”. Sounds good?”

Ren nodded, “Perfect.”

“Alright. We can meet at my house after work tomorrow. It’ll be easier than to hide at the back of the station.”

Morgana popped out from the bag once again, “That’s perfect. It’ll be our hideout from that point forward.”

He then smiled, “This is gonna be a good partnership. I can’t wait!”

The group then went their separate ways for the day, Yu heading back home and Ren and Morgana going back towards the Inn.

“A new Persona user to add to our team. Things are really looking up for us right about now.”

“Don’t go and jinx it. The easier the ops are, the better for everyone.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren, Yu, and Morgana move quickly to continue the investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm incredibly sorry for keeping you all waiting. It just became a hectic week and I ended up being super busy with little to no time to finish this up. I'll be better about it from this point forward and try to develop a schedule of sorts.
> 
> Apologies once again, but let's finally continue.

**_Play: Heartbeat, Heartbreak - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Ren stood outside the exit on his phone, waiting for Narukami.

He was exchanging messages with the Thieves back home.

The conversation went as followed:

Ren: _Sorry for worrying all of you._

Ryuji: _You’ve gotta start contacting us more often. You’ve heard about the rumors, right?_

Ann: _I told him about them on the phone yesterday._

Makoto: _None of that matters. How are things going? Have you found the Palace of Amagi-san yet?_

Ren: _No, we haven’t. However, all those rumors about the Midnight Channel and a TV world were all true._

Yusuke: _So there is another world aside from the Metaverse…_

Haru: _Is it any different from the Palaces and Mementos?_

Ren: _Very much so. The one “Palace” we’ve encountered was inside the TV world and the Metanav could only locate it, but we can’t access it directly. We enter by climbing through the TV and we can use the Nav to find the Palace’s location and to exit. There also wasn’t a Treasure._

Ryuji: _Wait, no Treasure? Then, what are you guys even supposed to find?_

Futaba: _Judging by searching his Metanav data, it’s...I don’t even know…_

Ren: _It’s a bit hard to explain._

Ren noticed Yu walking towards him, and quickly sent another message: _I’ve gotta go now. You guys take care of each other, and be sure to keep checking the Phan Site for any requests. Makoto, I’m counting on you to keep the team together._

Makoto: _I got it. I won’t let you down, leader._

Ryuji: _We won’t either. If anything happens, we’ll be ready!_

…

He slid his phone back into his pocket as Yu approached him.

“Sorry about that. Just needed to clear up a few things. Who were you talking to?”

“Just some friends back home.”

“I see. Just checking in?”

“Yeah. No issues.”

“Good, now we should...oh.”

...

Yu was looking behind Ren, and he turned to look as well.

When he looked back, he saw Yukiko approaching the two of them slowly.

She spoke when she got close, “Good afternoon Yu, Amamiya-kun.”

Ren gave a small wave while Yu spoke, “Hey Yukiko. Are you looking for Chie? She’s just finishing up something inside. You want me to go get her for you?”

“That won’t be necessary. I can wait out here.”

Her eyes went down to the sidewalk, “Although...there’s something I wanted to ask you both.”

Ren and Yu looked at her confused as Yukiko hesitated.

“Has...Chie been acting odd while at work?”

Ren answered, “Odd how?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like she’s been...different. It’s like something has been bothering her, but she won’t talk with me about it.”

Yukiko continued, “I’m just worried that I did something wrong, and…”

She shook her head and sighed, “Maybe I’m just imagining things, but...if you two notice anything unusual, can you tell me?”

Ren and Yu exchanged glances quickly, just as Chie walked out of the station and towards them.

“Sorry I’m late. What are you guys talking about?”

Yukiko’s expression changed and she smiled as Chie walked up next to her, “Nothing important. Just catching up is all.”

“Oh, cool.” Chie then turned to Ren and Yu, “Are you two busy? We’re going into town to run some errands. You’re welcome to tag along.”

Yu answered before Ren could say anything, “Sorry, but we’ve got our own thing going on. Maybe next time.”

“Oh? What kind of thing?”

“Just some extra work for his apprenticeship. Nothing important.”

“Well if you ever change your mind, just let us know.”

“Will do. See you two later.”

…

Chie and Yukiko walked away together, leaving Ren and Yu by themselves.

Yu let out a light sigh, “Geez, I’m glad they bought that.”

He looked up at Ren, “But really, that whole thing with Yukiko before. What was that all about?”

Ren could only shrug, “I’m not sure, but she did seem genuinely concerned despite her demeanor changing so suddenly.”

“I noticed that too. Do you think that…”

Yu thought a bit more to himself before shaking his head, “Never mind.”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s not important. We can talk about it later. Now, we should probably get going ourselves.”

He started to walk away, with Ren following behind confused.

Morgana popped out and stood on his shoulder as he walked, “Wonder what’s on his mind.”

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

* * *

**_Stop: Heartbeat, Heartbreak - Persona 4_ **

* * *

Narukami’s home was small and modest. It had the essentials in the main living area: a small couch with matching chairs, a coffee table, an entertainment center with books and other decorations, and a TV. Ren made sure to keep Morgana’s bag off of the couch as Yu returned to the room.

“You don’t need to worry about cat hair. I don’t mind.”

Morgana, who had been sitting on the floor, hopped up onto the coffee table in front of the two of them, “I don’t shed THAT much, y’know.”

“Speak for yourself.”

Yu laughed lightly as Morgana glared at Ren.

“Anyway, now to what we’re here for.”

“Right.”

* * *

**_Play: Suspicion - Persona 5_ **

* * *

“So, what do we know?”

Morgana started, “Not much. We only know that Yukiko has a Palace, but no matter how much we searched the TV world we never found it. The only one we found was yours.”

Ren picked it up, “We found all the information on the Metanav. We know it’s there, but we’re not sure why it hasn’t appeared yet.”

“Wait...Metanav? What’s that?”

“Oh! We forgot to explain that! Ren, show him your phone.”

He nodded and pulled out his cell phone, pulling up the Metaverse Navigator and showing it to Yu.

“This is how we enter and leave the other world back home. In the TV world, we can locate Palaces with it and call in our exit, but it won’t take us anywhere.”

Yu grabbed Ren’s phone and looked it over, searching over the app for a good minute.

“Yu Narukami, Inaba police department, and prison…”

He looked at Ren, “What do those mean?”

“You need a name, location, and a distortion in order to locate the Palace,” Morgana answered him, “The name is obvious, the location is where the distortion takes hold and forms, and the distortion is the form that it takes. For you, it was a prison at the police department.”

“So what is it for Yukiko…?” Yu asked himself quietly before searching more of the Nav.

He spoke again when he found what he was looking for, “Castle…again…?”

Ren raised an eyebrow, “Wait, what do you mean “again”?”

Yu looked over at him, “When Yukiko was kidnapped and thrown into the TV world way back then, her Shadow had her trapped in a castle before. Her Shadow took on the appearance of a princess and that’s what led to her Persona awakening.”

Ren and Morgana’s eyes widened.

“So is it the same castle from before?”

“We don’t know, it hasn’t appeared. All we know is that it’s there.”

Yu handed Ren his phone back, “So then, why don’t we just go find it?”

Morgana sighed, “It’s not that simple. Besides, there’s something else I want to go over.”

Yu leaned back and crossed his arms.

…

“It’s about what Yukiko approached you two about before we came here.”

Ren answered by asking, “The thing with Chie?”

“Precisely.”

“What about it?”

Morgana turned to Yu, “What do you mean “What about it?”? Doesn’t it sound super suspicious?”

“I mean,” Ren said, “It was odd, yes, but...is it really that out of the ordinary?”

Morgana looked confused so he continued, “People act differently when things are on their mind all of the time. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to do with us.”

Yu rubbed the back of his head, “Despite my better judgment, I’ve gotta agree with Ren. She could just be stressed?”

Morgana sighed in disappointment, “You two are hopeless. At least check the Nav for something.”

“Okay.”

…

Ren pulled the Nav back up and tapped on the screen. The search bar opened.

“Alright, here we go…”

He pressed the microphone button, and said “Chie Satonaka.”

The Nav made his phone buzz, _“Candidate found.”_

Ren and Yu’s eyes widened, while Morgana smugly smiled.

“Told you.”

Yu ignored him, “So Chie does have one of those Palaces…”

“It makes sense,” Morgana said to him, “If you lost your Persona, then we can only assume that everyone else in your team has as well.”

“Yeah…”

“We should try finding the keywords,” Ren added in.

“Right. Let’s try the location. What’s a place that’s closely related to Chie?”

“Well, there’s the obvious. The Amagi Inn.”

The Nav responded, _“No candidates found.”_

“Shoot…”

Ren gave it a try, “Could it be the Inaba police department again?”

_“No candidates found.”_

He sighed, “I figured…”

…

“I’ve got an idea,” Yu spoke up after a minute of silence, “What about the flood plain by the Samegawa?”

_“Candidate matched.”_

Ren and Morgana were both surprised, Yu not responding.

“How did you guess that?”

“It wasn’t a guess, it was simple. It’s where Chie proposed, y’know.”

“You could’ve told us that before, y’know.”

“It’s not important,” Ren interrupted the two of them, “Now, we need a distortion. Any ideas?”

Morgana was thinking while Yu answered, “Could it be a “prison” again?”

_“No candidates found.”_

“What about a “courthouse”?”

_“No candidates found.”_

“Shoot...any ideas, Ren?”

“Uhh...a “penitentiary”?”

_“No candidates found.”_

“Isn’t that the same thing as a prison?”

Ren just shook his head.

“So...we’ve got nothing,” Morgana said disappointedly.

“What do we do then?”

“Guess we’ll just have to go to the TV world, find the floodplain in the other Inaba, and find out there.”

“So we’re just gonna go in without knowing what it is we’re running into?”

“At this point,” Morgana answered Yu, “It’s our best option.”

…

Yu stood up, “Alright then, let’s go.”

Ren and Morgana both looked up at him, the latter asking, “Wait, you want to go right now?”

“Why not? What good does it do for us to stay here and sit around?”

“That’s...a good point.”

Ren slid his phone back into his pocket and stood up, “He’s right. Let’s go, Morgana.”

Morgana stretched out first before replying, “Alright alright, calm down. We’ll go in and investigate the floodplain.”

* * *

**_Stop: Suspicion - Persona 5_ **

* * *

Yu pulled a pair of glasses out and slid them on, “Okay. Here we go.”

He climbed inside of the TV in the room, Ren and Morgana following in behind him.

* * *

**_Play: Backside of the TV - Persona 4_ **

* * *

They were back in the studio area, where Joker and Mona had sent the calling card to Yu.

Mona dropped next to Joker, landing on his feet.

“Alright, time to find that Palace. But there’s one more thing.”

Yu and Joker both looked down at him, Yu asking, “What else is there?”

“We need to come up with a codename for you, Narukami.”

Yu was confused, “A codename? Why?”

Morgana crossed his arms, “We’re phantom thieves. We can’t just go around using our real names. It may have worked for you back then, but it’s not that simple for us.”

Joker looked at Yu, “It’s just a safety precaution.”

“Hmm...I understand. So, what should I be called?”

…

“You’re a detective, so...what about “Agent”?”

Yu shook his head, “That sounds too simple. Is “P.I.” good?”

“That just sounds weird…”

“Well, you guys aren’t really helping.”

He looked at Joker, “You got any ideas?”

Joker thought to himself.

_“Something related to his profession doesn’t sound right. He was the leader of their team of Persona users before, so…”_

He looked at Yu and said, “Kingpin.”

“Kingpin? Why’s that?”

“You were the leader of your team back then, and a kingpin by definition is related to someone of the utmost importance. I think it fits.”

Joker looked down at Mona, “You agree?”

Mona nodded, “I do. You good with going by that?”

Yu thought it over before nodding, “Sure.”

“Perfect. From this point forward, you’re Kingpin. Now let’s get moving.”

Joker looked back at “Kingpin”, “You know this town. Mind leading the way to the floodplain?”

“Not at all. Follow me.”

With that, the three of them left the studio area and walked off.

…

The streets were quiet, but that wasn’t unusual. It’s not as if there would be normal people walking around in the TV world.

But what got to Joker the most was the lack of Shadows. He had yet to see a single one so far in their journey thus far, and it was starting to make him feel uneasy.

He decided to bring the issue up with the two others, “The lack of Shadows around is worrying me. What about you two?”

“The fewer there are, the better if you ask me.” Kingpin responded from the front.

Joker looked down at Mona, who only responded with, “I’m not sure. Maybe they’re staying away?”

* * *

**_Stop: Backside of the TV - Persona 4_ **

* * *

His question would not get answered, as Kingpin had stopped and immediately said after, “Hey, look!”

Joker and Mona both stopped as well to look.

They had stopped right before where the floodplain was supposed to be. The river remained, but the rest of the landscape had changed.

…

Just across the river was a massive fortress that towered over them. Large searchlights lit up the sky above them from the inside, while artillery emplacements and machine-gun nests sat in the walls and the top of watchtowers. There was a massive drawbridge in front of them that sat open, leading to the main entrance.

“A fortress…” was all that came from Kingpin.

“So this is what Chie’s distortion is…” Mona added.

Joker pulled out the Metanav, where the details had updated. “Fortress” had joined the rest of the results.

With that, he slid his phone back into his pocket. He stepped ahead of Kingpin and Mona, adjusting the glove on his hand.

“Come on. Let’s begin our infiltration.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves begin the infiltration of Chie Satonaka's Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez...right when I say I want to get better at updating, I get worse. Ugh, screw you college...
> 
> Anyways, I've taken some time to think about it, and I've decided to stick with the codename I went with for Narukami. I know it was probably a turn-off for some people, but I'm going to stand by my decision and continue forward. Hope you'll stay along for the ride, despite my sudden terrible update schedule and my bizarre choices.
> 
> I do have to say though, despite me not updating for the final week before this story hit the one-month mark, I'm still absolutely stunned by how well it's been doing. The support has just been insane for a project I started on a whim out of boredom and has since become my most popular work here by a country mile. I have everyone that's taken their time to read this absolutely bonkers adventure. It truly means so much to me.
> 
> All right, no more sappiness and excuses. Let's continue.

**_Play: Counterfeit Phantom - Persona 5: Strikers (Note: No P5S spoilers, just the bangin’ hot soundtrack lol)_ **

* * *

For a good minute or so, they all stood at the end of the drawbridge, admiring the sight in front of them. Nobody said a word, and the air was silent.

At long last, the silence was broken.

“I don’t get it,” Kingpin said while turning back to Mona, “What does a fortress have to do with Chie?”

Mona could only shrug, “I don’t know. She’s your partner. If anybody here knew the answer, shouldn’t it be  _ you _ ?”

“I didn’t even know she had one of these things in the first place.”

“That’s...y’know what, fair enough.”

Joker turned back to the two of them, “We don’t have time to argue. If you want to know why it’s like this, then we need to get inside and investigate.”

“He’s right. We’d better get inside and start looking around. There’s gotta be something that’ll give us some answers.”

Kingpin nodded and turned back to Joker, “I’ll let you lead on this one. It’s been a while since I’ve gone dungeon crawling, but I’ll try not to slow you down.”

Joker nodded, and all three of them walked across the bridge and into the fort.

…

At the end of the drawbridge into the fort, there was a large gate sitting in their way, with two other doorways to each of their sides. On the other side was an open yard, where trucks and tents sat idly. Joker couldn’t see any Shadows roaming around nearby, but it would be foolish to assume there was none there.

“You see anything, Joker?”

Joker pulled away from the gate shaking his head, “Nothing special. I don’t see any Shadows either.”

“Yeah, I thought so. I’m not sensing any nearby. They must be inside the actual fort itself.”

“If I might interrupt,” Kingpin butted in before Mona could add any more, “Shouldn’t we go over the plan?”

Joker and Mona both looked at him confused.

“Uhh...the plan?”

Now Kingpin was the one confused, “You guys  _ do _ have a plan, right?”

Mona crossed his arms, “Well, kind of. We go in, we look around, secure a route to our objective, and…”

“...and if we run into Shadows, we fight when necessary.” Joker finished for him.

“Sounds...chaotic.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I would’ve thought that the Phantom Thieves wouldn’t operate so carelessly…”

Mona was about to interject but he continued, “But then again, my team and I were mostly the same, so I can’t blame it.”

Joker chuckled lightly while Mona sulked.

“Was that really worth bringing up? C’mon, we’ve got a job to do you know.”

“Calm down, cat. There’s no threat.”

Now, Mona was angry, and he yelled, “I am NOT a cat!”

Joker just shook his head, “Okay, enough. Let’s get moving.”

…

The door opened slowly, and Joker peered inside. It was dimly lit, but enough to see what was there. No Shadows, just crates and storage boxes. Some sort of supply room.

He pushed the door fully open and entered, the other two following right behind him.

“You sensing anything, Mona?”

Mona stopped and stood still, concentrating on...something, before he answered, “If you’re asking about a Treasure, then...no. I am starting to sense Shadows though. We’d better be on the lookout.”

Joker nodded, but Kingpin asked another question, “Hold on, what’s a “Treasure”?”

“It’s the core of the Palace Ruler’s desire, what caused their heart to become distorted. It can be anything.”

Joker continued for him, “Stealing the Treasure is what causes the change of heart.”

“Ahh, I see...so, what was my Treasure?”

“Your Palace didn’t have a Treasure.”

“Huh?”

“It’s like what I told Joker after we beat your Shadow. I believe that the “Treasure”, in your case, was your Shadow-self.”

“My Shadow was the Treasure?”

“You lost sight of your true self,” Joker said, “That’s what caused your Palace to appear.”

“I see…” Kingpin said quietly before looking down at the floor.

They stood in silence for a second until he looked back up, “Do you think the same thing that happened with me is what happened to Chie?”

“It’s possible. We won’t know until we find her Shadow. It’s gotta be in here somewhere.”

“Keep sniffing it out. For now, we can keep searching the fort. Speak up if you sense it.”

…

They entered another room, Joker sneaking inside while the others kept watch. There were tables with radios and communication equipment stacked all around. Once again, no Shadows.

He motioned for the other two to enter, and they all walked in together.

Mona pointed out the obvious, “This must be the communications center.”

Kingpin walked over to one of them, noticing how they were all mostly off, and the ones that were activated had nothing coming through. They were old,  _ very _ old.

“These things are antique,” he pointed out, “1940s era stuff. Why is the equipment so old?”

“Must be part of the cognition. This is a pretty old fortress, y’know. It can’t be that out of the ordinary.”

“That is true. It’s just...I don’t get it.”

…

Right before they were about to leave, they were interrupted.

_ “Stop right there!” _

They all turned back to find two Shadows, dressed in old military uniforms and armed with rifles, stood by the doorway they had entered from. Their appearance and weapons matched the time period of the equipment in the room with them.

_ “Who are you?! What business do you have here?!” _

Kingpin was the one to respond, “We have an urgent matter to discuss with your commanding officer. Take us to them.”

_ “The base is on lockdown until The General returns. If you have business, you will have to come back another time.” _

“We’d like to see them now…”

_ “The General is not here! You’d better leave or we’ll take you into custody!” _

“Not here?” Mona said quietly, “So...is Chie’s Shadow not in the Palace?”

The Shadows got closer to them,  _ “They’re intruders! Arrest them!” _

Kingpin sighed, “So much for negotiating.”

Joker looked back at him, “You ready for this?”

His only response was a grin and a, “I’ve been ready...now bring it on!”

The Shadows transformed into new forms, as two large horse-like creatures with large, spiraling horns, as the three Thieves prepared themselves.

* * *

**_Pause: Counterfeit Phantom - Persona 5: Strikers_ **

**_Play: Time to Make History - Persona 4: Golden_ **

* * *

The two Shadows stood before Joker, who had brandished his knife. Mona and Kingpin ran up next to him with their own weapons.

_ “You three are intruding on restricted territory! Any act of aggression shall be met with deadly force!” _

“Kingpin, it’s probably been a while since you’ve fought in a battle like this,” Mona spoke over the Shadow, “Need a breakdown of the basics?”

“Nope. I’ve got it. Mind if I take the lead on this one?”

“Not at all. Show us what you got.”

…

Kingpin put his hand up in the air, a blue card appearing and floating down towards his palm.

He yelled “Izanagi” before clenching his fist and shattering the card, a blue aura surrounding him.

His Persona, Izanagi appeared behind him. It swung the large sword towards one of the Shadows, two massive slashes appearing a second later and slashing the Shadow. The Shadow disintegrated, leaving only the other one left.

“Not bad,” Joker said to Kingpin before turning his attention back to the battle.

Joker shouted “Persona!” as he ripped off his mask and summoned Arsène. The pool of Curse energy appeared underneath the Shadow before rising and striking it. The Shadow drooped down but was not defeated.

“Come on, Joker! You gotta do better than that. Here, watch how it’s done.”

Mona summoned Zorro, his Persona, and attacked the Shadow. A large spring with a boxing glove appeared and struck the Shadow...doing nothing.

“I missed? Really?!” Mona yelled, Joker just shaking his head at him.

The Shadow advanced on Mona and slammed into him, dealing light damage. Mona just shook it off and stood back up.

Kingpin ran up to the last Shadow and slashed it with his sword twice quickly before coming downward with one, heavy strike. The Shadow disintegrated, and he hopped back to the line.

…

Soon after, two more Shadows appeared where the first two had fallen. They were also horse-like creatures, but they lacked hind legs and floated in the air.

“We’ve got reinforcements!” Mona yelled out, “Take ‘em out!”

Kingpin summoned Izanagi once again with a call of “Persona!” before both of the Shadows had massive amounts of lightning bolts strike and envelope them. They were both immobilized, but not defeated.

He turned to Joker, “I’m passing to you. Finish them off.”

The two of them clapped hands, and Joker immediately went forward and pulled out his pistol. He aimed at one of the Shadows, firing one shot at each. That was enough to disintegrate that group of Shadows easily.

…

Once again, they weren’t done. One final Shadow appeared, a man in red armor riding on a horse with a massive lance in its hand.

“One more! Come on, you guys. We can do this!”

“I got it.” Kingpin said, summoning Izanagi once again and attacking with Electricity once again. The lightning bolts struck the Shadow multiple times, and it collapsed to the ground.

The group immediately advanced, surrounding the Shadow, pulling their guns out, and aiming at the Shadow.

“You guys ready? Let’s finish it!” Kingpin yelled to Joker and Mona.

The three of them jumped back, grouping up and jumping into the air together. They all then dove at the Shadow, striking and slashing over and over again with their blades.

Kingpin then landed on the ground, turning away from the Shadow while cracking his knuckles and smiling. He said “Better luck next time” right as the Shadow exploded and disintegrated.

No more Shadows came, signaling their victory.

* * *

**_Stop: Time to Make History - Persona 4: Golden_ **

**_Resume: Counterfeit Phantom - Persona 5: Strikers_ **

* * *

Kingpin stretched his arm out while smiling, “Phew. That...felt great.”

“You sure it’s been ten years, old man?”

He laughed, “Hey, you’re gonna be “old” like me one day too, wise guy.”

They laughed together.

Mona spoke when they were done, “You’re pretty good, Kingpin. It was smart to bring you along.”

He then crossed his arms before continuing, “But what that Shadow said before is strange. This “General” isn’t here?”

“Do you think that could be Chie’s Shadow?”

“I’m not sure. It’s possible, but we won’t know unless we see it for ourselves. However…”

Joker finished, “We won’t know because the Shadow isn’t in the Palace.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

“Wait, is that even possible?” Kingpin asked, “This is HER Palace. She can’t just...leave, right?”

Mona shook his head, “I don’t know. But if the Shadow isn’t here, then…”

…

He was interrupted by a large siren and a voice blaring over speakers.

_ “Attention all units. We have intruders within the base. Find them and bring them to the War Room immediately.” _

Mona hopped off of the table he stood on, “They must’ve heard us fighting. We can’t stay. Let’s retreat for now.”

Joker and Kingpin both nodded, and they all ran back towards the entrance of the fort.

* * *

**_Stop: Counterfeit Phantom - Persona 5: Strikers_ **

* * *

They were back across the drawbridge, facing the fortress as it was roaring with life. They could see Shadows patrolling on the tall towers and upper walls, searching for them.

“They sure woke up in a hurry.” Kingpin commented as he stared up at the fortress.

“The Shadows must have been dormant. Guess our fighting was what woke them up.”

Mona then turned towards the street nearby, “Come on. We should get out of here.”

Joker and Kingpin began to follow, but they were interrupted by a flash of blue.

…

The two of them looked around, noticing a new blue haze over the area. Mona was frozen in place in front of them.

“What...are you seeing this too?” Kingpin asked Joker.

He nodded, just as lights started to shine on the street.

A limousine pulled up next to them, the closest door opening.

_ “Come inside. We have much to discuss.” _ A mysterious voice said out loud.

The two of them looked at one another, but they did move towards the vehicle.

Kingpin and Joker entered, the latter shutting the door behind him. The vehicle then drove off.

* * *

**_Play: The Poem for Everyone’s Souls - Persona series_ **

* * *

Kingpin immediately recognized the interior of the vehicle, while Joker examined everything carefully. He still didn’t know what this was until they looked over.

There, they saw Igor, sitting with his elbows resting on the small table in front of him. To his left was a woman clad in blue, with golden eyes and blonde hair.

_ “Is this...the Velvet Room…?” _

He then remembered the last time he had spoken with Igor and Lavenza.

_ “There are many Velvet Rooms just like this one. Each with our same master but a different attendant, like myself.” _

This must be the Velvet Room of the other Wild Card…

Wait…

…

Igor’s laugh interrupted his thoughts, both him and Kingpin looking over at him.

“The Seeker of Truth and the Trickster...what a fascinating duo…” He said between his chuckles.

“”Seeker of Truth”...?” Joker said under his breath.

Kingpin was also speaking to himself, “”Trickster”...?”

Igor spoke to Joker, “You have already united with the other Wild Card. I must congratulate you, Trickster.”

“Wait…” Joker looked at Kingpin, “ _ You _ are the other Wild Card?”

“ _ Other _ Wild Card?”

Something flashed in front of them, and they both took it in their hands.

Wild Cards. Two identical ones.

They looked at the cards, then each other, then at Igor.

Igor chuckled once again, “The union of the two awoken Wild Cards has been complete. And your power has been reawoken as well.”

He said the last part to Kingpin, who didn’t respond.

…

“So...you have the same power I have?”

Joker nodded, “Yeah, I do. I...didn’t expect the one Igor spoke about to be you.”

“Heh. Well, I...guess I’m full of surprises.”

Joker smiled, but turned his attention to Igor, “Well, it’s like you said. Our powers are “united”, whatever that means. Now, you mind telling us what you summoned us here for?”

“Indeed I shall. You have already reclaimed one heart lost to its innermost feelings and desires. However, more remain shrouded in grief and sorrow. You have encountered another.”

Kingpin spoke this time, “That’s right. Chie, but...her Shadow was able to leave its place of distortion. Why is that?”

“Hmm...now this is an unusual matter. The Shadow is normally shackled to the heart it was birthed from. Perhaps there is a connection to the heart that lets them travel away…”

“A connection…?”

…

Kingpin looked at Joker, “Yukiko.”

He looked back in shock, as Igor nodded, “Perceptive as always. Just what I’d expected from the Seeker of Truth.”

Igor then looked over at the woman, who had remained silent this whole time, “Oh! Where are my manners? Trickster, this is your first time in this Velvet Room, correct?”

Joker nodded, so Igor continued, “Allow me to introduce my assistant here.”

The woman looked up at Joker and spoke, “My name is Margaret. I’ll be here to guide you on your journey alongside Igor. You were previously assisted by Lavenza, correct?”

“I’m...surprised you know that.”

“Us assistants are all fairly acquainted, but that does not matter. Shall you need anything in regards to your Personas, speak with me at any time.”

“I will.”

Margaret smiled at him, “I look forward to working with you, and it’s an honor to work with you again, Seeker.”

Kingpin smiled.

…

“Before we depart for today, there is one last thing I must speak of with you two.”

The two of them looked at Igor, who continued, “As I stated before, you are the two remaining Wild Cards who have awoken to their powers. There are not many like you, and those before have all been...well, let’s not distract ourselves.”

“I say this because there is another Wild Card yet lingering…”

Their eyes widened.

“Wait...there’s another one just like us?”

“Indeed. However, they have yet to awaken their powers. They remain unaware of the true potential that lies within them. If you may find this third Wild Card, then a great bond will form and a new power awoken.”

Joker and Kingpin were both majorly confused, but the limousine came to a stop and Igor spoke again, “Unfortunately, that is all the time we have for today. Until we meet again…”

Their vision started to go white, as the Velvet Room faded away.

…

…

…

Their vision returned, and they were back on the street of the other Inaba, right where they had left.

Mona ran back to them, “What are you two doing?”

Kingpin rubbed his forehead, “Uhh, sorry. We just...were talking.”

“Well quit dawdling around. We’ve gotta get back and talk this over, y’know.”

With that, Mona started walking down the street.

Kingpin looked up at Joker, “We need to talk about what just happened.”

Joker nodded, “We will, but let’s get out first. It’s not safe on the streets.”

“Right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one. I'll see you guys soon (hopefully sooner than two weeks).


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